About
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Angelica Ramirez is a twenty-nine year old Renaissance woman from Melbourne, Florida. Angelica is an aspiring bonsai professional and the creator of Discover Potters, with a diverse background as a cellist, Team USA archer, helicopter pilot, and painter; along with having many hobbies. Angelica currently works as the Seasonal Bonsai Assistant at the Chicago Botanic Garden and also serves as a director on the board of both the American Bonsai Society and North American Bonsai Federation. A cellist of over fifteen years, Angelica is also a private cello instructor and has been a member of many orchestras. Angelica was principal cellist of the Melbourne Community Orchestra from 2018 until 2022. She attended the University of Florida for music performance on cello and after, Voyager Aviation where she earned her helicopter private pilot license. Angelica is also an accomplished archer, having competed for over ten years. Her records include winning state, national, and international championships; breaking multiple state and international female compound archery records. She earned a spot on the 2015 and 2016 USA Archery Team and was named Florida Sports Foundation's 2017 Florida Female Athlete of the Year. A self-taught painter, Angelica began painting in 2017. She found inspiration in her love of bonsai and began painting them in 2019. Her paintings are as she describes, a form of "extreme pointillism" with a dual nature, often combined with glow in the dark paint, creating a dynamic and captivating viewing experience. Her paintings take an enormous amount of time and patience to complete, therefore only a few are created per year. Another craft Angelica enjoys is watch modification, where she specializes in modifying Seiko watches and often implements her paintings onto dials. Some of Angelica's other notable hobbies include: photography, cycling, learning new instruments, and web development. In 2017, Angelica completed the Cross Florida Ride, a 170 mile cycling event across Florida; and has twice completed the Camino de Santiago (Walk of St. James), a nearly 500 mile (770 km) hike across Spain, completed by both walking (2017) and bicycle (2022).
Scroll down to read more about Angelica's bonsai history. |
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Bonsai
2019 & 2020
Angelica began studying bonsai in 2019 from various online videos, books, and from Feng Gu of Penjing Bonsai Garden in Malabar, Florida. Later that year, Angelica had the opportunity of attending a one-to-one class with Peter Chan at Herons Bonsai and was invited to continue her studies with Peter the next year (postponed due to the pandemic). In 2020, despite the difficulties with the Covid-19 pandemic, Angelica continued to search for more self-study opportunities. She focused on practicing bonsai at home, attending online bonsai seminars, researching bonsai pottery, and began creating her website.
2021 & 2022
As a member of Bonsai Society of Brevard, Angelica competed at the 2021 Bonsai Societies of Florida Convention Scholarship Competition, earning second place; earning her a scholarship to continue her bonsai studies and named a guest artist for the 2022 48th Annual BSF Convention. Later in 2021, Angelica was a founding member of The Florida Collective alongside her third mentor David Cutchin and four other of his students. The Florida Collective gave their first demonstration at the 2022 48th Annual BSF Convention. In February 2022, Angelica launched Discover Potters, a free online database of active bonsai potters worldwide on her website. It includes direct links to over 400 potters in over 45 countries, bonsai pot resources, retailers and auctions. In 2022, Angelica's Green Island Ficus bonsai was displayed at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival and then at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Angelica returned to Herons Bonsai in May 2022 for a week long intensive course and has again been invited to return for an internship (TBD). After her return from Herons Bonsai, Angelica had the honor of being the first bonsai intern at the Chicago Botanic Garden where she spent six months working and studying with bonsai curator, Chris Baker.
2023 & 2024
In 2023, Angelica had the honor of being selected as the National Bonsai Apprentice at the U.S. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, part of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., and an apprenticeship fully funded and supported thanks to the National Bonsai Foundation. During her time there, she worked with curator Michael James and the museum’s curatorial staff, deepening her knowledge in bonsai cultivation and preservation. Additionally, Angelica worked for the National Bonsai Foundation. In 2024, Angelica returned to the Chicago Botanic Garden, where she worked as the seasonal bonsai assistant. That same year, she partnered with the Pacific Bonsai Museum to create a set of limited edition watches, each featuring painted bonsai inspired by the museum’s collection. Angelica’s dedication to the bonsai community also extended to her involvement with the American Bonsai Society (ABS), where she volunteered on projects such as creating the 2025 ABS Learning Seminars advertisements and spearheading the creation of the 2025 North American Bonsai Pottery Competition.
Interviews, Articles, and Videos featuring Angelica:
Herons Bonsai: Making Bonsai A 1-2-1 with Angelica from the USA - 2019
Herons Bonsai: Angelicas visit to Herons Bonsai - 2022
Bonsai Illusion: Hablamos un poco con Angelica Ramirez sobre el arte del bonsai - 2022
Purple Pot Society: Artist Spotlight - Angelica Ramirez - 2023
The Many Talents of Angelica Ramirez, Part 1 - Bonsai Time Podcast Ep 15 - 2023
The Many Talents of Angelica Ramirez, Part 2 - Bonsai Time Podcast Ep 16 - 2023
Bonsai Brainstorm with Angelica Ramirez - Bonsai Time Podcast Ep 17 - 2023
2023 National Bonsai Apprentice at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum - The National Bonsai Foundation - 2024
Bonsai Teachers and Mentors:
Feng Gu, Penjing Bonsai Garden - 2019 to 2021
Peter Chan, Herons Bonsai - 2019, 2022
David Cutchin, D&L Bonsai Nursery - 2021 to 2022, 2025
Michael James, U.S. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum - 2023
Chris Baker, Chicago Botanic Garden - 2022, 2024, 2025
Angelica began studying bonsai in 2019 from various online videos, books, and from Feng Gu of Penjing Bonsai Garden in Malabar, Florida. Later that year, Angelica had the opportunity of attending a one-to-one class with Peter Chan at Herons Bonsai and was invited to continue her studies with Peter the next year (postponed due to the pandemic). In 2020, despite the difficulties with the Covid-19 pandemic, Angelica continued to search for more self-study opportunities. She focused on practicing bonsai at home, attending online bonsai seminars, researching bonsai pottery, and began creating her website.
2021 & 2022
As a member of Bonsai Society of Brevard, Angelica competed at the 2021 Bonsai Societies of Florida Convention Scholarship Competition, earning second place; earning her a scholarship to continue her bonsai studies and named a guest artist for the 2022 48th Annual BSF Convention. Later in 2021, Angelica was a founding member of The Florida Collective alongside her third mentor David Cutchin and four other of his students. The Florida Collective gave their first demonstration at the 2022 48th Annual BSF Convention. In February 2022, Angelica launched Discover Potters, a free online database of active bonsai potters worldwide on her website. It includes direct links to over 400 potters in over 45 countries, bonsai pot resources, retailers and auctions. In 2022, Angelica's Green Island Ficus bonsai was displayed at the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival and then at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Angelica returned to Herons Bonsai in May 2022 for a week long intensive course and has again been invited to return for an internship (TBD). After her return from Herons Bonsai, Angelica had the honor of being the first bonsai intern at the Chicago Botanic Garden where she spent six months working and studying with bonsai curator, Chris Baker.
2023 & 2024
In 2023, Angelica had the honor of being selected as the National Bonsai Apprentice at the U.S. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum, part of the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C., and an apprenticeship fully funded and supported thanks to the National Bonsai Foundation. During her time there, she worked with curator Michael James and the museum’s curatorial staff, deepening her knowledge in bonsai cultivation and preservation. Additionally, Angelica worked for the National Bonsai Foundation. In 2024, Angelica returned to the Chicago Botanic Garden, where she worked as the seasonal bonsai assistant. That same year, she partnered with the Pacific Bonsai Museum to create a set of limited edition watches, each featuring painted bonsai inspired by the museum’s collection. Angelica’s dedication to the bonsai community also extended to her involvement with the American Bonsai Society (ABS), where she volunteered on projects such as creating the 2025 ABS Learning Seminars advertisements and spearheading the creation of the 2025 North American Bonsai Pottery Competition.
Interviews, Articles, and Videos featuring Angelica:
Herons Bonsai: Making Bonsai A 1-2-1 with Angelica from the USA - 2019
Herons Bonsai: Angelicas visit to Herons Bonsai - 2022
Bonsai Illusion: Hablamos un poco con Angelica Ramirez sobre el arte del bonsai - 2022
Purple Pot Society: Artist Spotlight - Angelica Ramirez - 2023
The Many Talents of Angelica Ramirez, Part 1 - Bonsai Time Podcast Ep 15 - 2023
The Many Talents of Angelica Ramirez, Part 2 - Bonsai Time Podcast Ep 16 - 2023
Bonsai Brainstorm with Angelica Ramirez - Bonsai Time Podcast Ep 17 - 2023
2023 National Bonsai Apprentice at the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum - The National Bonsai Foundation - 2024
Bonsai Teachers and Mentors:
Feng Gu, Penjing Bonsai Garden - 2019 to 2021
Peter Chan, Herons Bonsai - 2019, 2022
David Cutchin, D&L Bonsai Nursery - 2021 to 2022, 2025
Michael James, U.S. National Bonsai & Penjing Museum - 2023
Chris Baker, Chicago Botanic Garden - 2022, 2024, 2025
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Updated January 2025. All Photographs by Angelica Ramirez