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No one who attended the Golden State Bonsai Federation Convention 2005 will ever forget them. As they trotted into the room, like Olympic athletes, we all cheered. When one of their team won a raffle item or an award, they all would leap up and give a synchronized whoop and holler, and we laughed and applauded at their enthusiasm. No, we won’t forget that amazing team from Puerto Rico!
Pedro Morales is the teacher and leader of the team. He grew up working in the family nursery in Puerto Rico, which supplied ornamental trees of predominantly native species. When attending the University of Puerto Rico in 1979, his Spanish teacher gave him an assignment to do a report on bonsai. He was very taken with bonsai, and a few years later when visiting at a horticultural event, his interest was caught again by bonsai and he was hooked. His first teacher,
Adan Montalvo, is called “Mr. Bonsai” in Puerto Rico. An accomplished bonsai artist and suiseki collector, Mr. Montalvo is greatly revered.
"An accomplished bonsai artist and suiseki collector, Mr. Montalvo is greatly revered."
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Pedro mainly works on tropical trees in his native country, such as
Neea Buxifolia. He has between 300 and 400 trees in his personal collection. His accomplishments include travelling to South America, Australia, China, Chile, India, and extensive trips to the United States as a demonstrator, lecturer, and exhibitor of bonsai. When listing his achievements, the list is so long and my writing was so slow that I am very afraid that I was unable to do justice to it all. Needless to say, Pedro is a bonsai powerhouse! He has been a headliner at three World Bonsai Friendship Federation conventions, in 1993; 2001; and 2005. With six trees in the JAL World Bonsai Contest, he has competed in the very highest echelons of bonsai!
When asked for something that stood out for him in his bonsai experience, he cited his demonstration in Germany, having only one hour to study a huge tree before beginning to work on it. He said, however, that he was very nervous leading up to his demonstration at the GSBF 2005 convention, because here in California, we “expect a lot”. Well, he shouldn’t have worried at all, because the attendees at the convention were delighted with the work that he and his team performed! One of the nicest aspects of their demo were the sketches done by his teammate Roberto Martinez before the work on the tree began. Roberto’s sketches gave the vision of the tree that the team worked toward.
Other team members were Arturo Lluberas; Carlos A. Morales; Dennis Santiago; Crucita Morales; Samuel Silva; and Hector Arle.
"As the President of the Federacion Bonsai de Puerto Rico, Pedro is actively involved in the bonsai movement in the Latin American countries"
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As the President of the
Federacion Bonsai de Puerto Rico, Pedro is actively involved in the bonsai movement in the Latin American countries. He is enthusiastic about the health of the bonsai communities in Latin America, and interestingly cites that more than half of the members of his club in Puerto Rico are women! Their age group is about thirty to forty, but some members are as young as sixteen. His lovely wife, Yrene C. Vasquez, is from Venezuela and is the editor of the newsletter.
In 2007, Pedro is proud to help host the
BCI FELAB Convention in Puerto Rico. He is very excited about the programs that they will be offering there, and the opportunities for education for all bonsai artists attending. In addition, he points out that when the demos, lectures, and workshops close in the evening, the entertainment will really begin! And judging by the Puerto Rican team’s charisma and style, those evenings in the warm and lively island of Puerto Rico promise to be as memorable as bonsai conventions can be.
Note: every effort has been made to assure accurate information in this interview, but if any mistakes appear, they are entirely my own. Joanie
14-Nov-2005
GSBF: A Moment with Pedro Morales
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