You can see this bonsai and other examples of Pierre Leloup’s art on his facebook page and on his website.
The luck of the draw
Pierre Leloup and Sangi Drolet were my immediate neighbors in the vendors section of the 3rd U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition. As it turned out, they saved my life (in the not too literal sense). Not only did they help me load up at the end of the show (I was by myself and brought way too much stuff), but they fed me, offered me water when I was dry, and cheered me up during those tedious spells when everyone was attending demos and the aisles were empty.
With the exception of his now famous planting, Pierre and Sangi were not there to show (or sell) Pierre’s bonsai. They were instead offering some of his suiseki collection. As well as one of his wonderful hand-built screens.
What does happen?
Based on what I saw at the show and then on Pierre’s website and facebook page, I was struck by the notion that some people come to bonsai when they are already accomplished artists, and what an advantage this could be. I don’t know how common it is, but in Pierre’s case, the results are exceptional.
Even without his bonsai
Though this blog is devoted to bonsai, I think it would be worth showing (and linking) some of Pierre’s art, even if he didn’t do bonsai.
A piece of one of Pierre’s gardens.
One of Pierre’s suiseki.
A section of the screen that Pierre and Sangi brought to the show.
I couldn’t resist. This wood sculpture by Pierre could be called ‘Jin and Shari.’
Here’s the caption from Pierre’s website: Le restaurant Overflow de Sherbrooke, entièrement aménagé par Pierre, a ouvert ses portes cette semaine. Un look tout à fait moderne et branché… une ambiance chaleureuse et décontractée… pour y boire une bière entre amis ou goûter aux excellentes bouchées chaudes et froides!
Lest we forget, this is a bonsai blog. And yes, it’s Pierre’s.
We don’t usually show people in this blog, but we’ll make an exception in this case. That’s Pierre at the Exhibition with his planting. BTW: that amazing base that grabs your attention is hand carved wood. By Pierre, of course.
Thanks for the translation, Wayne… ;)
Hi Colin,
It’s good to see someone actually made it that deep into the post. Always reassuring.
And my apologies for the oversight. It’s just that here in Northern Vermont we’re all fluent in French so it’s easy to forget about the rest of you benighted folks (no offense intended of course, and for the record, even though I live a mere 50 miles from our Quebecois friends, in truth, my French consist of 27 profoundly mispronounced words).
Here’s what Free Translation has to say:
The restaurant Overflow of Sherbrooke, completely laid out by Rock, opened its doors this week. A completely modern and connected look… a warm and relaxed mood… for there to drink a beer between friends or taste the excellent hot and mouthfuls cold!
I thought the stand was folded copper, it amazes me he carved that from wood. It is a truly stunning display piece. The man is extremely talented and deserves recognition.
Ha! I just thought I’d put you through your paces.
It’s interesting to note that the early bonsai luminaries in the UK all seem to have artistic backgrounds: Peter Adams, Painter, Royal Academician; Dan Barton, Design and photography lecturer; Harry Tomlinson, draughtsman, cartoonist; Yours Truly, Graphic designer…. Having an artistic background helps insofar as it becomes relatively easy to grasp the aesthetic principles of bonsai and to analyze the merits and demerits of your own (or somebody else’s) work.
Hi again Colin,
Yeah. Artist first then bonsai artist is probably more prevalent than I thought. Makes sense really.