Thoughts From Your President – July 2015

by Jeff Lorch, President

Summer is here! Let the wiring begin!

We just came out of a period of intense activity. Activities such as the Mother’s Day show, Art in Bloom, Owen Reich’s visit as the spring bonsai professional and the spring auction all made for an over-scripted month. Set the stage for the state fair, as it is literally just around the corner. Now is the time to style hard and wire to achieve the shape and form to be displayed. Trees are growing fast and continuing to bud. Join or start a study group to provide motivation and positive reinforcement. Do some thoughtful bonsai so the folks at the state fair will pause to enjoy it.

Thank you to everyone who signed up for helping out at the state fair. Many hands help to make this a premier event. With every member signing up for a task, everything gets done and no-one is overwhelmed. Docents, set up, demonstrators, waterers – all make it look effortless.

The novice classes are coming up soon. Please sign up for a day as a helper/guide for the students. As a practicing member, you are infinitely more experienced than the person off the street. You can provide constructive guidance to avoid the common pitfalls. Remember do not leave the bonsai on the TV.

Record the evolution of your bonsai. Take a photo of the tree in the wild child state and immediately after the (maybe radical) makeover. This will be followed up by the tree at the show (Mother’s Day). Bring the iPhone with the photos to the Summer Social event. We will also be looking to post bonsai histories on the website. Bonsai is visual, so showing the evolution in photos is worth pages of text.