Monday, January 5, 2026

Philosophy of Bonsai with Ryan Neil - Ep 53

 I. Episode Summary & Links

            Today’s episode is a special one! Your hosts Ryan Huston and Kevin Faris sat down with Ryan Neil of Bonsai Mirai, just outside Portland, Oregon. We dive into bonsai, life, apprenticeships, family, purpose through the art — and so much more. Enjoy and Bonsai on!

YouTube version is here!

 The podcast version of Episode 53 is here!⁠

Guest Info:

            Ryan Neil is already known by many in the bonsai world for his accomplishments, including serving a 6-year apprenticeship in Japan under the world-famous artist Masahiko Kimura. He then went on to found his garden and educational operation Bonsai Mirai which for years has done both in-person and live-streamed advanced bonsai education. He is one of the first and biggest players in the bonsai educational subscription content/community scene which has now evolved into an app most recently.

Sponsor Info:

            This episode is sponsored by Chris Meade of the Columbus Bonsai Society and by our co-host via the Kevin Faris moving sale of bonsai pottery, tools, and trees. View these items at In Vivo Bonsai of Columbus, Ohio, USA in-person, or online (shipping available) at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠invivobonsai.etsy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠, or go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.InVivoBonsai.com⁠ and navigate to the consignment ⁠pottery⁠ and ⁠tree⁠ pages.

Mailbag submissions/Community:

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See the relevant images and links from this episode below.

II. Show Notes / Pictures

A. Links/pictures discussed in this episode:

Work in progress.
Links to things discussed in this episode are added here. Curated pictures will be added shortly, but follow the links and you will find them also.
  • Ryan Neil Chicago critique
    • I thought it would be on the Midwest Bonsai Society YouTube channel but did not see it. If anyone finds it, let us know!
  • Ben Keating Sculptural pots
    • Many examples are visible in the video and show notes from our interview with Ben (BT#26) here.
    • A few more recent ceramic Ben Keating pots that Ryan referred to are available on In Vivo Bonsai's consignment pot section.
  • Jonathan Cross pots in use at Mirai
    • Many examples are available in the Bonsai Mirai Tree Gallery (look for angular rugged pots)
    • Mirai also featured Jonathan Cross in an article on their website here. They have many examples of his pots for sale here.
    • Also, one well as one prominent example in the 2025 US National Bonsai Exhibit was discussed in our recent US Nationals reflection episode (BT#50) and you can see its picture in the Bill Valvanis article linked in the show notes.
  • David Degroot Artisan's Cup Critique of President Hoover Larch by David Crust
    • The artisan's Cup website and gallery are preserved here and even more so here on Mirai's websites.
    • The Artisans' Cup Website is still online here. There, you can purchase a pass to listen to the critiques of all the trees as well as see high-quality images of each tree. You can also buy the Artisans' Cup Book, which contains the tree images.
    • I also found this YouTube video from the YouTube channel "Fabio Antakly BONSAI" who attended the Artisan's cup here. Thie video is partly a walkthrough showing many of the trees.
  • President Hoover Larch by David Crust, recently donated to the Pacific Bonsai Museum
    • When we find a picture of it, we will add it here. If anyone else has seen it, please let us know!
  • Greg Brenden's Engelman Spruce from the BSOP Rondevous 2018 Supercritique (Mirai Youtube channel)
    • See the tree at 1 hr 12 minutes here. We will add a picture of it later.
    •  Many of Greg's bonsai projects can be seen at his old blog website, BrendenStudio.Wordpress.com.
    • We will add his Instagram - which is more up to date - when we find it/hear back.
  • Exhibits Ryan mentioned combining bonsai with modern architecture in several exhibits. These are largely available here in his portfolio.
    • Wyden kennedy
    • Portland Japanese Garden
    • Lumber room
    • Skylab
    • Artisans' cup (linked and mentioned already above)
  • Sergio Cuan's Yatsabusa Elm; recently exhibited at the 2025 US National Bonsai Exhibit and donated to Longwood Gardens after.
    • In Sergio's Website, M5 Bonsai Works, his deciduous gallery includes pictures of the Yatsabusa Elm (#13, bottom of the page) and more of the backstory of the tree. The pictures span 2019-2025.

III. Episode Credits⁠

Podcast Info:

The Bonsai Time Podcast is hosted, edited, & produced by Kevin Faris, Ryan Huston, & Kelly Lui. Learn more about the podcast at the links below. We expect to post new interviews and reflections monthly!

Submit questions or pictures for future Bonsai Brainstorm episodes to our email, social media DMs, or at the links below.

Your hosts can be found below:

Music by MIDICANCER. Find more music by them at the links below.

More Bonsai Projects by Ryan:

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Location: Portland, OR, USA

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