Below the Surface by Prairie Stuart-Wolff
Posted on July 29, 2014 within News
The freediving traditions of ama
Three days in a row, I call Sakamoto from inland — where the air is still and the sun is warm — seemingly perfect for a boat ride. But thrice in a row, he reports impossible waves. While winter seas are predictably rough and summer seas are even and calm, spring proves the seas are capricious. There are two routes to Minato, a small village where a community of ama (freedivers) still work. One route passes farmed fields carved from dense overgrowth, the other skirts along the edge of blue that stretches toward islands on the horizon. Whether through the mountains or along the sea, both routes are winding and long and converge at Minato.
Little Ones by Prairie Stuart-Wolff
Posted on July 3, 2014 within News
A budding bonsai artist
On the brink of his twenties, Takuya Shimazu stumbled upon the world of bonsai and quickly dedicated himself to the craft. Largely self-taught, he works outside the vocation’s more staid traditions. His pieces reflect a certain whimsy, and Shimazu’s enthusiasm for bonsai is as apparent as it is infectious. Here is his story …
I planted this little guy from a seedling about eleven years ago. Pine tends to grow vertically straight. I train the young trunks with wire and gently shape them over time. The fibers and the bark adapt to the wire. That’s the crux of bonsai: shaping trees. So in that way, what I’m doing is traditional. But in terms of style, my approach isn’t. My bonsai tend to look lanky or frail compared to traditional bonsai. But in my view, there is no mandate on how bonsai should look. Each tree has its own character. I try to understand that character in order to enhance it. Continue Reading Little Ones by Prairie Stuart-Wolff
