Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
I got rid of most my companion plantings...to make room for the trees I brought in the last year. So...I have really nothing to contribute. But will enjoy seeing the ones shared.
Bonsai nut 2020 expo
- Thread starter SouthernMaple
- Start date
Trenthany
Chumono
On google I can’t find a free version yet. We can break new ground!
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
I've been through the "self selecting" level thing before with a club and here's how it goes: Four levels, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, and Master. The Beginners are new to the sport and do the right thing. The Masters are the leaders of the club and everybody knows who they are. Everybody else, 85%, jump into Intermediate. They win ribbons year after year and sure as Hell don't want to compete with someone who can beat them even though they have been Intermediates for 15 years. We had to make a formal ratings scale where points were counted for winning this or that ribbon and forcing people into a higher level when they acquired X number of points. That made things fair for the people who belonged in the lower brackets. But it was a battle. People feign modesty and hold onto the lower level until it is ripped from their grasp.
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Wow...that doesn't sound fun at all. I'm a backyard hobbiest at best. I've never thought to categorize myself anything but. Glad I decided early on I can't participate.
Trenthany
Chumono
I’m so new I don’t have anything styled yet. Can we compare the sizes of sticks? I mean prebonsai! 
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
No, competing sharpens the wit. It forces you to look more closely at your work and ask yourself, "What can I do to improve this?" There is always something that needs tweaking, and without the spur of showing it, you'll just put it off. And, there's nothing like winning something to boost your own self-confidence in your own abilities to do more & better.
Weeds in a pot is a good example. Look at the surface of shitty trees and you'll see weeds. Look at the surface of great trees and they look neat and tidy and weed-free. Any idiot can do the first 90% of most things, but the difference between the Men and the boys is that last 10%, -going that last mile. People need to force themselves to enter trees, and beginner trees belong in every show. Visitors who see shows with beginner trees say to themselves, "I can do that", and that's a great first step for people to become wannabes. Shows with nothing but 50-year-old Master trees are intimidating and visitors slink out the door hoping that no one asks them anything about the trees because they are so perfect.
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
I do get that to a degree...I've taken advice and chewed and bettered my trees for it. But I'm not a competitive person. But...to stage a display...I no longer have the material. Thus why I decided not to participate. But that one might think I placed myself in the wrong category only seals the deal. Time...is what one needs to develop good bones. Some bones I've had the time. Some are still a work in progress. I will enjoy the entries. With no care of classification to be honest. I prefer just admiring trees. At the end of the day...I'm just plain vanilla. 
zanduh
Mame
BonsaiNut Expo
bonsainutexpo.wordpress.com
I made the backbone to the site that would host the expo. Whoever wants to maintain the submissions and post them please let me know and I'll give you the site user/password
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
In Japan the awards system, as near as I can understand it, falls into two categories: The first being about the trees where the judging is all about the trees. The second is the artists: where the artists who designed, cultivated and cared for the trees are acknowledged and may not get awards they will definitely profit from the acknowledgement of their skills. For the most part most exhibitors in Japan, unless they are the professional bonsaiists, do not do the majority of the work involved to produce a world class bonsai; and everybody knows it. However we are not Japan and we are not Japanese. We are (at least in America) Americans with an I can do it attitude. For many of us there is little difference between the quality of our trees and the skill we personally exhibited/exercised to get the tree to where it is. It is at this point we reach the great schism between those who do bonsai and those who simply have the income to afford world class bonsai designed by someone else. Some people will shout that it is all about the trees. I agree but it is not all about the trees. If the art involved in producing a stunning bonsai is not recognized then why do we have bonsai clubs, with workshops and demonstrations and guest artists? Maybe we should publish a book about how to buy a bonsai and display it as your own.
Trenthany
Chumono
I move to make it a tree only contest... no display necessary. Or have a tree only category for those with no display! Lmao
SouthernMaple
Chumono
Judy thanks for your feedback, this is just a practice run to collect data and feedback, the actual contest will have a much longer deadline. Does 10-14 days sound better? Please let me know and post something before Sunday, it doesn't have to be perfect. Just wanted to do something bonsai related this weekend. Also my bonsai club cancelled all 3 shows we were having this year because of covid.
Cadillactaste
Neagari Gal
Your to kind. I'm fine setting this one out.
SouthernMaple
Chumono
oh cool I have only been to the 2019 Carolina Expo, which was my first show ever, this past June was going to be the show I volunteered to work and meet Ryan Neil. I hope everyone can make it to the show this June as it will be the 25th show at the NC Arboretum. Anyone know the status of the Winter Silhouette in Kannapolis this year?
Trenthany
Chumono
I think the Japanese solution to this is one of the best and I’m definitely not a fan of “do it this way because the Japanese do” that some people espouse. But they do a lot of stuff really well I just want to know why they do it so I can understand how to use it correctly. Ryan Neil went into an explanation of why akadama is nearly unique and it’s internal structures that make it superior that actually made sense to me. I understand now why people swear by it. But I’m not starting a soil war just explaining that once I know why it makes much more sense to me. The contest thing makes sense for exactly the reasons you explained as well. Perhaps their should always be an acknowledgement of the trees history much like they do in japan for shows not limited to an artist only. For example I have no problem acknowledging Jim on my new tree. Even if I take it in a new direction I will always acknowledge it was grown by him. I think that could be a good compromise since most trees in America don’t have widely known histories of who worked and owned them like the world class japanese ones. Or maybe my thinking on this is all wrong as a newbie not yet at a presentation level no matter how much I’m learning.
zanduh
Mame
Any feedback on the website I posted up the thread as the host/design for the expo?
SouthernMaple
Chumono
all trees are accepted this weekend, I just want people to have fun, all my trees are still in training but I will be doing something today as the sun popped out(it was supposed to rain all weekend). Please if you don't have companion plants or stands that is fine I am just trying to see how many submissions we can get before deadline. Also if you want to leave a description do it after the picture of your tree and try to keep it as short as you can. Thank you all for your time and patience with me.I’m so new I don’t have anything styled yet. Can we compare the sizes of sticks? I mean prebonsai!
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
I'm really sensitive about forced cookies and won't be posting anything anywhere I have to take cookies to play.
SouthernMaple
Chumono
SouthernMaples' Quarterly Unofficial Bonsai Nut Trial Run All Species Contest, its titled this in the contests forums
zanduh
Mame
That’s a shame. I took a look and if I chose to pay for a premium plan with wordpress there would be no ads and no cookies as long as I disabled commenting.
There are different types of shows. A Club show should be all inclusive so that everyone should feel encouraged to participate. Yes, “Showing a Tree” does force you to be more critical of your trees. And I feel it really does “pressure” you to do better. You do have to start to learn about pots, stands, and accents. “Showing” is an entirely different skill set than “bonsai”.
@Forsoothe, that’s interesting about how at your club everyone wants to be an Intermediate to win ribbons. At the Atlanta club, we have “novice”, “enthusiast”, and “expert” categories. A few enter the “novice” category, it seems everyone else thinks they’re “expert”! Lol!!!
At BIB, awards are given by tree classifications: “best conifer”, or “best deciduous”, etc. The goal of the show is to show excellent bonsai, and Boon decides If trees are “show worthy” or not.
@SouthernMaple brought up the NCExpo show. That’s an unusual show. To be able to show, you have to be a member of one of a few select bonsai Clubs in the Southeast. Each club gets two tables of display space. And innovative displays are encouraged. Some clubs spend a great deal of time and effort to create unique displays. The quality of the trees runs the full spectrum from poor to great.
The National Show in Rochester is “by invitation”, in that anyone who wishes to show submits a photo, and Bill Valavanis decides if the tree will be given an invitation. He tries to have a variety of species and styles. Unusual species, therefore, have a higher chance of getting accepted than the more common species. If you want to show a juniper, it had better be great!
In Japan, there are all kinds of shows. From “family shows”, to club shows, to the big shows like Taikan-ten and Kokofu. We tend to focus on the big ones, which are dominated by the professionals. Just like horse races... we hear about the big ones, the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. We never hear much about all the others.
@Trenthany, to properly prepare a tree for showing, that requires a lot of work. Sometimes months of preparation! But certainly time to install good moss, tidy foliage, Obtain stand, install wire and/or remove wire... many of us might have photos of our trees that are reasonably cleaned up, but right now, none of my trees are “show ready”. I would need at least a month’s notice.
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