In the world of creating a work of art out of small versions of trees, these men are a big deal.
Two of the world's most renowned bonsai masters, bringing with them decades of expertise and skill, have come to Canberra to pass on their craft.
Japanese master Kunio Kobayashi and American expert Ryan Neil led Canberrans through hands-on workshops as part of a weekend-long event at the National Arboretum.
It's just the second time in Mr Kobayashi's more than 40-year career that he has visited Australia.
Regarded as one of the best in the world, the Japanese artist is the founder and owner of the Shunkaen Bonsai Museum in Tokyo, and has apprenticed more than 200 artists.
Mr Kobayashi said he first started practicing the art form in his late 20s.
"I got into bonsai because they represent life, and they live such long lives," he told The Canberra Times.
"I started out trying to make pretty things, but since then I've changed from trying to make pretty things to making things that are unique and distinctive."
The Japanese master came to Canberra after being invited by a former student, who is now at the Arboretum, which also has Australia's national bonsai collection.
Mr Kobayashi said patience was the key in helping to shape the bonsai, with some taking decades to form, and says he tries to pass on other techniques.
"I wanted to help teach techniques, but also to help develop a sense of what's beautiful," he said.
"More than anything, I wanted to make sure the students were able to understand the characteristics of the tree that will help bring the bonsai to life."
While Mr Kobayshi focuses on the traditional techniques of the art form, as it grows in popularity across the globe, bonsai is now being applied to other species of trees found in other parts of the world.
Ryan Neil's obsession with bonsai from a young age now sees him apply the ancient art form to North American trees, as well as Australian native species.
"Being in Australia, you're working on Australian materials while surrounded by the Australian landscape," Mr Neil said.
"We're now seeing what the technique of bonsai looks like to non-Japanese species and trees in regions outside of Japan, and we're seeing that in Australia with the eucalyptus and tea trees."
Mr Neil's fascination with bonsai started from an early age, after seeing bonsai trees at a local fair. He went on to study bonsai further in Japan for six years, and said while much of the education focuses on styling the tree, tree health was just as as important.
"There's a number of ways to start, you can either grow it from seeds, or get a cutting or go to a nursery and find tube stock, but the paramount thing is to achieve health in the tree," he said.
