Weston Creek Bonsai Group - Autumn Show 2011

[bonsaibruce]

Greetings,
One of our committee who is clever enough not to complain about the Show captain will be photographing the trees.
Our plan is for them to be on our website and a selection will be used in our very popular club calendar.
Happy bonsai,
Bruce

[Pup]

We are always glad of your observations, Pup, but I am puzzled by the following:

Another thing that is disappointing is the lack of stands and the use of the wrong size stands. This a shame as it does make the show very mediocre.

As there are trees that deserve better. Which would then be a much better show

Stands can be interchanged, to make it a better show. The club could buy some plain cork or bamboo, place mats so the trees can then be placed on them, so the tree is separated from the table cloth covering.

All trees have stands, as far as I can see. Could you perhaps specify where that is not the case? I grant you that the stands are not always the right size and type for the bonsai that are displayed on them, which is something that almost all club shows suffer from. But as for our show being "very mediocre" (Huh??) as a consequence, that is surely a bit harsh!? Luckily it was not the opinion of the many visitors to the show, which included quite a number of veteran bonsai-ists.
By the way, congratulations to you for always having the right stands to show off your beautiful trees. I am sure they will be most appreciated by all the visitors to the AABC show that is coming up very soon.

Lisa

Picture number 4 does not have a stand, I know that the tree set up is not finished. This is the sort of thing, that does not do justice to a show. It should have been left till it was set up in its finished positition.


Lisa, I said I have many stands yes, but not always the right stand for the tree. In a lot of cases yes. BUT not always

I have in the past lent a stand, then realised I wanted that stand for my tree. As I had already lent it, my tree was the one to not have thee right stand.
I am sorry if I offended you by that remark. If those trees that were on smaller stands were changed it would have gone from what I perceived to be HuH as you put it to a much better show.
As to many Bonsai veterans viewing the show. I have found not just here but around the world,placing trees on stands does not rate as highly as it should.
Being a long term member of forums, you will no doubt remember that the Al Keppler said that it is the tree that matters to me. That remark was made to me over a similar post I made. Then an ensuring bun fight followed. Until he was told by HIS sensei Boon what I had said was right. I have also seen comments of ( a wonderful show fanatastic show one just recently that was commented on by your self that had a lot of no nos such as part of the tree touching the stand )
This is why I have been loath to make comments, as it seems to upset people too much. I was taught that constructive criticism, is always helpful, apparently not, so in future I will not as we said in PMs that some one has too. But not me any more.
as I also stated my in opinion as we all have one and the right to it.
Pup
Ps thanks for the inappropriate congratulations, if you had read properly, you will have read NOT ALWAYS, Your Picture second tree from the le left

[Graeme]

Be careful taking on the old grey fox LLK. The one thing no-one can ever pick WA up on is the show display of their trees. The first show I went to see over there I gave a hand at the clearup for. I wondered for a while why every stand had a name written on it underneath. Thinking surely everyone should know their own stand if their tree was sitting on it. Took a while, but I realised the tree sitting on a stand quite often belonged to someone other than the stand owner. Yep, as Bruce suggested, there was obviously a "Show Captain" who had decided such a tree did not match the stand it was placed on and had swapped it with one that did. Come to think of it, I wonder who the Show Captain was at that show?

If you get over to Perth for AABC I believe the display will blow your socks off and not only purely for the high standard of trees, but by the overall display as well. Those guys 'n' gals seem to have a great knack for the theatrical in their displays and it all seems to just work.

[Leigh Taafe]

If you get over to Perth for AABC I believe the display will blow your socks off and not only purely for the high standard of trees, but by the overall display as well. Those guys 'n' gals seem to have a great knack for the theatrical in their displays and it all seems to just work.

Pressure is on now!

I cant wait to get over to Perth - I have been chomping at the bit for almost 12 months now !

[Pup]

If you get over to Perth for AABC I believe the display will blow your socks off and not only purely for the high standard of trees, but by the overall display as well. Those guys 'n' gals seem to have a great knack for the theatrical in their displays and it all seems to just work.

Pressure is on now!

I cant wait to get over to Perth - I have been chomping at the bit for almost 12 months now !

Looking forward too it, Cheers Pup

[LLK]

Thanks all who replied here, and please, Pup, let's go on having bun fights rather than keep quiet abnout what we think. I said that we are always appreciative of your comments, and I meant it. Of course that doesn't mean that I have to agree with all you say!
Believe me, the Weston Creek group knows all about show captains, swapping stands and other organisational features, having had yearly shows for around 20 years. The fact is that its membership has been dwindling over the past years and that it has become more and more difficult each year to set up a show. This year, the show consisted of 65 trees entered by 11 members, with most of them supplied by only 6. Between us, we just don't have 65 suitable stands and have to make do with what there is, the best way we can. OK, we might have done a better job with swapping, and no doubt we will next year (if we still have the courage to set up yet another show). However, as I have already mentioned, the visitors enjoyed this year's effort and that is the main thing. Maybe we were lucky to get people that were not sufficiently well educated in bonsai matters to notice the defects in the display? Anyway, I for one am proud of what our small, local group managed to achieve, including the overall high standard of the trees.

I had fully intended to go to the Perth AABC Seminar, but I no longer can, worse luck!!!
Have a great time, all.

Lisa

[Pup]

Hi Lisa, I appreciate your reply. My comments were meant to help, not discourage in any way . The term mediocre, was meant to say that a show can be lifted by just these little things it was not meant to upset any one.

I have been involved with the BS of WA for 26 years and the improvement each year since I began is fantastic.
With a membership of over 100 you would think it would be easy. Well it is not. We have a similar situation to yours with the same people always helping and putting in tree's. In the early years we used to have 2 a year for one day. But that stopped about 10 years ago.

With the AABC convention we have a tree selection committee, just to show how difficult these shows can be. One of the tree committee wanted to know if it was necessary for all the trees to have an accent.
As captain I told him in no uncertain terms, that if the trees he chose were of that standard, he had better have a lot of standby trees to choose from.
We have also just received news that one of the contributers and local demonstrator assistants, has a Brain tumor and will not be able to help in any way.
His trees I am told will be taken and looked after by another member. Also all of the stands that he has.

I am sorry you are not going to be able to make it Lisa, I was looking forward to your appraisal after what I had said. I am sure that Leigh and the others will seek me out, to let me know.
Cheers Pup

Ps as for the chance to pick it will be there, as we have just come though the longest dry spell on record for the Perth Metro area, as well as the hottest.
I am not sure of others tree's, but my deciduous have a lot of burnt leaves so unless we get some really cold nights I will be re visiting the ice watering and ice cube regime, to try and get them to either change colour or fall off, and trying to gather moss from some areas around the streets.

[bodhidharma]

I have been involved with the BS of WA for 26 years and the improvement each year since I began is fantastic.
With a membership of over 100 you would think it would be easy. Well it is not. We have a similar situation to yours with the same people always helping and putting in tree's. In the early years we used to have 2 a year for one day. But that stopped about 10 years ago.

I think every Bonsai Society in Australia would suffer the same problems as experienced here. It seems to be the dreaded disease of..the work of the many is always done by the few (and always the same few)

[Mick B]

Pup,
Bonsai Shows of Clubs/Societies/Groups are there for the members to display their trees, no matter the circumstance. To denigrate a display of bonsai, no matter where it is, most certainly is not helpful for the future of bonsai in Australia, let alone those people who went to the effort to present a tree for showing and those who arranged the show. Quite frankly I am surprised and somewhat ashamed that comments such as I have read could be made. The Weston Creek Bonsai Group's display is solely put on so that members, either experienced or otherwise have the opportunity to show their work of which they are very proud. Perhaps in the future it would be helpful if you think before you act. You have disappointed quite a few people. Good luck with your bonsai.
Mick Balzary

[Mick B]

Pup,
Bonsai Shows of Clubs/Societies/Groups are there for the members to display their trees, no matter the circumstance. To denigrate a display of bonsai, no matter where it is, most certainly is not helpful for the future of bonsai in Australia, let alone those people who went to the effort to present a tree for showing and those who arranged the show. Quite frankly I am surprised and somewhat ashamed that comments such as I have read could be made. The Weston Creek Bonsai Group's display is solely put on so that members, either experienced or otherwise have the opportunity to show their work of which they are very proud. Perhaps in the future it would be helpful if you think before you act. You have disappointed quite a few people. Good luck with your bonsai.
Mick Balzary

[Pup]

Mick, one of the members of the club in question, has not had the what do you call it, the round things, when somebody has a complaint, and waits for some one else.

My comments were not meant to denigrate as you put it, but as with all critiques there are those that take exception. I merely pointed out that a show can be better if some thought is put into it.
Where possible the tree is at least placed on a mat of Bamboo or similar so that it seperates the tree from the surface of the table dressing.

We have some beautiful trees in Australia and the clubs around the country.
By looking at the show and encouraging, our members to display in the right manner, IE would you expect to see very good paintings as in the Archibald awards leaning against the wall or mounted properly.

Or just sitting on the table, if we in Australia want to get up there, a well presented tree will win over one not so well presented.
As explained by the Judges in last years competition, of native trees.
If you are going to shoot the messenger then as they say so be it, you can have a show, or an excellent exhibition.

Good luck I did think before I posted, as display is one of my favorite studies in Bonsai.

Pup
Ps, as I said to Lisa I do not wish to get into bun fights over my veiws, so I will not comment any further.