The Spring Bonsai Show by Tony Welch I'm always amazed at how much more impressive our trees look in the formal setting of our show than they seem to in the backyard at home. Plain white backgrounds, reed mats underneath, spotlight from above, and an array of other fascinating trees just seems to bring out the best in virtually every tree that's on display. Waiting for your trees to be "perfect" before sharing them with the world in the show is a little bit like waiting for the perfect time to write your first novel. You might as well admit that the "perfect" time will never come and just start now. The same holds for your trees. Yes, there are a large number of spectacular trees in club members' collections, and a lot of them will be on display at the show. However, I think it's pretty safe to suggest that they're just as critical of their own work as you are of yours and that nobody is 100% satisfied with any tree in their collection. When you get right down to it, every last bonsai tree on the face of the earth is a work in progress and will never be truly finished. The public is curious and wants to know how these trees get to where they're considered bonsai. One of the best ways to show them is for the club to display an array of trees ranging from those that are in the early stages of becoming bonsai through to an including trees that have been under development for a long number of years and are exemplary of what some hard work and patience is capable of delivering in time. To accomplish this it's important that we show a broad range of members' trees at the show. Please make a point of bringing several examples of your work for display at the show. It is an event that is successful in direct proportion to the number of trees that are on display. Better yet, when bringing your trees in for the show, come early on Saturday morning (8:00 am works well) and give us a helping hand setting things up. There's a lot to be done but it is made much smoother and easier if there are many hands there to do the work. Then make a point of sticking around to enjoy the show, to listen to the ooh's and aah's of an admiring public as they marvel at your work, and come back again at 7:30 pm on Saturday night for a little food, refreshment and interesting conversation with other club members about the show, the trees and this wonderful artform. The show is really what you choose to make of it. Please take the time to make your own personal contribution. You won't regret a minute of it! NB: Included in the bulletin are No-Charge tickets that you can distribute to anyone you think might put them to good use. Please do distribute them. You don't need them. As a member you get in for free! Tony Welch Consumer & Professional Imaging Kodak Canada Inc (416) 761-4380 anthony.welch@kodak.com