Meet The Florida Collective
Our Mission
To celebrate Florida’s different methodologies and to educate on how they influence and guide the bonsai we create.
Who We Are
Founded in 2021 by David Cutchin and five of his students; Angelica Ramirez, Mia Leppala, Ryan Williams, Abner Cruz Perez, and Alejandro Ramirez, we focus on elevating the unique nuances of Florida’s bonsai, landmass, and people from an artistic, cultural, and horticultural perspective. We aim to highlight why Florida is the bonsai utopia of the United States. Our land and climate provide us with the opportunity that no other states enjoy and it’s time to come together and celebrate our collective uniqueness!
To celebrate Florida’s different methodologies and to educate on how they influence and guide the bonsai we create.
Who We Are
Founded in 2021 by David Cutchin and five of his students; Angelica Ramirez, Mia Leppala, Ryan Williams, Abner Cruz Perez, and Alejandro Ramirez, we focus on elevating the unique nuances of Florida’s bonsai, landmass, and people from an artistic, cultural, and horticultural perspective. We aim to highlight why Florida is the bonsai utopia of the United States. Our land and climate provide us with the opportunity that no other states enjoy and it’s time to come together and celebrate our collective uniqueness!
David Cutchin is a 6th generation Floridian, and a 2nd generation bonsai artist and grower. Born and raised in the Florida panhandle David moved to central Florida in 2011 to study horticulture at UF following an 11-year career with the Forest Service. This is also when he met David & Linda VanBuskirk of DL Nursery and began training to be a bonsai professional. In 2016 David became a student of Ryan Neil of Bonsai Mirai where he concentrated on technical application and design. Bridging the historically self-taught bonsai application of the southeast and the technical mastery of the west really pushed David to a greater appreciation of the art form and nuances in his home state. Florida being the most diverse state in the US to practice bonsai, and his nursery centrally located, allowed David the opportunity to deploy many stylistic approaches across many horticultural applications. Currently in his 11th year, David teaches temperate, sub-tropical, and tropical cultivation through DL Nursery and Mirai Live, as well as clubs and individuals across the United States.
|
Angelica Ramirez began learning bonsai in 2019 from online videos, books, and from Feng (Gary) 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 after to continue her studies with Peter. Angelica returned to Herons Bonsai in May 2022 for a week long course and will return in February 2023 for a month long internship. As a member of Bonsai Society of Brevard, Angelica competed at the 2021 Bonsai Societies of Florida Convention Scholarship Competition, earning second place; encompassing a scholarship to continue her bonsai studies and named a guest artist for the 2022 48th Annual BSF Convention. Angelica had the honor of displaying her bonsai at the 2022 Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival and at the Chicago Botanic Garden later that same year. In February 2022, Angelica launched 'Discover Potters', a free online database of active bonsai potters worldwide, which includes direct links to over 350 potters, bonsai pot retailers and auctions, and bonsai pottery resources. Angelica is currently working on a six month bonsai internship at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
|
Abner Cruz Perez
|
Mia Leppala
|
Alejandro Ramirez
|
Ryan Williams
|
Questions? Please contact us at flbonsaicollective@gmail.com
Updated September 19, 2022. Created by Angelica Ramirez in collaboration with members of The Florida Collective. The Florida Collective was created by David Cutchin with database idea credit to him. Permission granted to arbonsaiart.com to create this database on September 1, 2022.
A special thank you to the bonsai community whose dedication to the art have contributed to the information on this site.