Guy Guidry with Twister

Guy Guidry is a world renowned bonsai artist known for his most impressive tree, "Twister". This is a very large bald cypress and he has quite a reputation for them.

So it was no surprise that when he came to Orlando to hold a bring your own tree workshop there where bald cypress everywhere you looked. What did surprise me was the quality of trees there.

Everyone brought their "A" material to this workshop, and for those that didn't have any, Mary Madison, the "Queen of Buttonwoods", had a number of very impressive trees for sale.

One by one, Guy addressed each tree, and in his uniquely humorous and inviting manner engaged everyone in the design process. It was great to hear why a tree should be this way or that way. It was also great to see those ideas quickly put into practice.

There was a lot of wiring to be done and much of it was with very heavy wire. After it was all said and done, we where among some exceptional bonsai.

Rick, Juan and Guy discuss Rick's tree.

Mike L. wires his Japanese black pine.

Paul's massive bald cypress.

Rick's elegant, tall bald cypress.

Mary Madison starts on her Bald Cypress

Let's just cut everything off. It will look great!

Seriously... Everything.

Now that's a Black Pine!

Rob Addonizio, Rob Kempinski, Ed Mercado with Rob K's podocarpus.

Mike Feduccia snapped up this lovely tree that was for sale.

Mike F and Guy pose in front of Mike's newly wired tree.