Rafael Torres is from Mallorca Spain. His Passion is Olives
Mauro Stemberger Italy
ROBERT MAHLER - USA
Bob Mahler discovered his passion for bonsai at an early age. As a teen, he was fortunate enough to apprentice under the direction of Chase Rosade of Rosade Bonsai Studios in New Hope, Pennsylvania. From there he travelled to Tochigi-Ken Japan where he would spend the next 4 years under the exclusive direction of world renowned bonsai artist susumo sudo. He returned to the States in 1993 and soon thereafter became the curator of bonsai at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn, New York. He left Brooklyn in 2005 to pursue a lifelong dream of working with individual collectors via lectures, classes, private collection maintenance, and tours abroad. Bob opened Kifu Bonsai (studio) in 2017. He continues to consult for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and is the current Philadelphia Flower Show chairperson for the Pennsylvania bonsai society. Bob specialises in bonsai classes, workshops, private sessions, club lectures & demos, overwintering + collection maintenance + Japanese Translation. He is trained in Japan in the art of bonsai exhibitions and displays. https://www.kifubonsai.com/
Rafael Torres, instructor of the Spanish Bonsai Association and owner of 'Bonsaisense' in Mallorca, has a bonsai school with more than 50 students. One of the challenges was to create an international bonsai school with Bjorn Bjorholm and Rafael Torres as instructors. Rafael Torres has participated in several demonstrations nationwide and he is planning to continue participating in several international and national congresses throughout the next years, also as a bonsai professional he works for a large number of private collections of Spanish and European collectors, in addition to offering workshops and classes for both amateurs and associations.
Mauro Stemberger was born in 1978 in Feltre, Italy and works as an architect and Bonsai artist. At the age of 14, he became fascinated about the art of Bonsai and started his passion with the local Bonsai club Feltre.
In the period 1994-2001 he had the chance to join workshops from well-known Bonsai artists like Hotsumi Terakawa, Marc Noelanders, Horst Crekler, Edoardo Rossi and Salvatore Liporace.
In 2005 he founded the Italian Bonsai Dream, a workshop place with a group of enthusiasts to work with and enjoy the Bonsai art.
Since 2008 he's a recognized BCI (Bonsai Club International) Bonsai Instructor and from 2008 till 2010 he was President of the UBI (Italian Bonsai Association) and director of the UBI Bonsai Magazine.
Mauro has appeared at these events: Noelanders Trophy, Certrè, bonsaiautumn, UBI Convention, Gingko Award, Franchi Bonsai Competition, Shooman Bonsai Competition and more
Mauro has appeared in these magazines: Bonsai Focus, UBI Bonsai Magazine, BCI Bonsai & stone appreciation magazine and more
Awards: Award Certificate of International Winner of the World Bonsai Photo Contest "Bonsai no Kokoro" (2005, 2006), UBI Mention of Merit (2005, 2006, 2011, 2012), UBI Award (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012), BCI Bonsai Photo Competition Winner (2011), Gold Medal at Noelanders Trophy 2012, 1st prize Franchi Bonsai Competition, 1st prize Shooman Bonsai Competition and many other (2nd, 3rd) places, mentions and nominations
Currently (for the last 4 years) he's doing demonstrations and workshops for Bonsai Clubs and Associations in Mexico, USA, Belgium, Germany, Holland, Italy, Croatia, England, Austria, France, Portugal, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Poland.
He particularly loves to work with conifers, Pines, Junipers (Itoigawa, Sabina) and especially Larch. "The continuous research of an esthetic perfection, which we will never succeed to achieve in the course of our short life. That's what makes us appreciate these small living pieces day by day, having the honor to see them on the stands in our garden. Therefore the passion for this particular art holds alive in me and in the time coming."
https://www.bonsaiempire.com
