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All-American Guest Artists - 2020
Kathy Shaner
Internationally known and recognized for her excellence in
the art form, Shaner began bonsai in 1983 in California.
After ten years of study she obtained a 5 year
apprenticeship with Sensei Yasuo Mitsuya, highly regarded
Master of Gendai (contemporary form) bonsai training.
She is the first non-Japanese and the first woman certified
by the professional bonsai grower's branch of Nippon
Bonsai Association. During her apprenticeship, she
published a series of articles in Golden Statements
magazine chronicling her training and adventures in Japan.
Upon completion of her apprenticeship in 1994, Ms.
Shaner has worked in bonsai on a full time basis. She has
lectured and conducted seminars and workshops, at many
National and International Conventions, while also working on many private collections throughout the
United States. Ms. Shaner uses her knowledge and ability to find the "soul of the tree." Then, using creative
and specialized techniques, she teaches her students the art and culture of bonsai in a clear and
understandable way. Her critiques are filled with positive ideas about how to improve each tree. In addition to
her teaching and private collection work, Kathy Shaner is the curator of the Golden State Bonsai Collection-
North at Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, which opened in the fall of 1999.
Suthin Sukosolvisit
Born in Thailand, Suthin has extensive experience with
tropical bonsai. His expertise also includes Japanese
maple, Juniper, Azalea, Black Pine and many other species.
Suthin has won multiple National Bonsai Awards in
Thailand and the United States. He lectures all around the
world and at some of the most important bonsai
conventions in the United States. Suthin shares new
information and techniques whenever he teaches. His
bonsai are known for their proportion, refinement and
detail. He is mostly admired for his remarkable Shohin
Bonsai designs. Suthin and his wife operate the Royal
Bonsai Garden in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
Bjorn L Bjorholm
Bjorn L Bjorholm is a bonsai artist and instructor who spent
six years as an apprentice under Master Keiichi Fujikawa at
Kouka-en bonsai nursery in Osaka, Japan before receiving
certification as a bonsai professional by the Nippon Bonsai
Association. His tenure as an apprentice at Kouka-en was
followed by three years as artist-in-residence at the same
location, making him the first and only foreign-born working
bonsai professional in Japan. During his time in Japan,
Bjorn's works were featured in the Kokufu-ten, Sakufu-ten,
and Taikan-ten exhibitions, among many others. In addition
to his work in Japan, Bjorn travels the world, from Europe to
Asia to Latin America, teaching bonsai art and providing
services to private clients and international organizations.
He operates intensive bonsai schools with affiliate nurseries in Spain and the United States, while also
working with international bonsai organizations. In 2017, Bjorn and his wife Nanxi Chen relocated back to the
US, and they are currently working to establish their bonsai nursery and school in Nashville, TN (established in
2018). Bjorn Bjorholm's works have been featured in, and received awards at, major bonsai exhibitions
around the world, including the Kokufu-ten, Taikan-ten, and Sakufu-ten shows in Japan, the Noelander's
Trophy in Europe, and the US National Bonsai Exhibition in the States.