Walter Pall
Walter Pall approaches bonsai as a living art. His work connects the character of old trees with deliberate choices about cultivation and form.
A path into bonsai
Bonsai artist and teacher of naturalistic design
Born in Austria in 1944, Walter Pall grew up with the landscape of the Alps. He began practising bonsai in 1980. Following a career in electronics and consulting, he also entered bonsai professionally in 1990, initially part-time.
Lectures and workshops have taken him to many countries. European tree species, long-term development and naturalistic bonsai recur throughout his work. His own blogs document both his thinking about design and the continuing progress of individual trees.
Style and working approach
Walter is particularly associated with naturalistic design. Old trees in landscapes provide inspiration; irregular crowns and distinctive branches can carry a tree’s character in his work. The material helps determine the direction of the design.
He distinguishes form from style: an upright trunk describes a form, but not yet its artistic expression. A natural appearance results from deliberate selection, pruning and wiring. It is a design goal, rather than an invitation to leave the tree alone.
His tree critiques combine a clear viewpoint with discussion of the next possible steps. He also treats cultivation as a relationship between substrate, water and feeding. Design and long-term development belong together in his approach.
Learn together
Courses and the masterclass at Bonsai Garten München offer a way to explore this approach. Discussing a tree is as much a part of learning as practical work. The course pages describe each format and published dates; his articles introduce the design questions behind it.