I'm doing a program on displaying bonsai for our club in April --
just before our yearly show.

While it will include ways to display trees are exhibits and
shows, I want to cover display at the owner's home, or for
special events where one might have just one special display of
tree (and whatever).

I'd enjoy hearing from those of you who have used your trees as
part of some "event" or other. Did you display the tree alone,
with other trees, or with other objects of one kind or another?

Were your displays "Oriental" or a mixture of the Orient (the
bonsai, perhaps) and the Occident (something else?)

Where did your display go? Few western homes have anything
resembling the tokonoma (and I suspect that MOST Japanese homes
are the same, these days). Was it a centerpiece of a table?
Against a wall somewhere? In a corner? Entranceway?

I know Craig has used them in his Church, and Iris has tied her
trees into Judaism. I've brought bonsai into our local Taoist
organization; have others of you done similar things?

Please reveal all. ;-)

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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I bought an azalea in memory of my dad, which I displayed in a small
tokonoma at our wedding. I've got a picture somewhere!
Nick

Nick Rôbin
07747 635301
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Lewis"
To:
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2003 2:34 AM
Subject: [IBC] Bonsai display


I'm doing a program on displaying bonsai for our club in April --
just before our yearly show.

While it will include ways to display trees are exhibits and
shows, I want to cover display at the owner's home, or for
special events where one might have just one special display of
tree (and whatever).

I'd enjoy hearing from those of you who have used your trees as
part of some "event" or other. Did you display the tree alone,
with other trees, or with other objects of one kind or another?

Were your displays "Oriental" or a mixture of the Orient (the
bonsai, perhaps) and the Occident (something else?)

Where did your display go? Few western homes have anything
resembling the tokonoma (and I suspect that MOST Japanese homes
are the same, these days). Was it a centerpiece of a table?
Against a wall somewhere? In a corner? Entranceway?

I know Craig has used them in his Church, and Iris has tied her
trees into Judaism. I've brought bonsai into our local Taoist
organization; have others of you done similar things?

Please reveal all. ;-)

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden


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****
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****
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

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++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
************************************************** ******************************
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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Pedro Morales pointed out that in walk-through exhibits, the tables should
really be at counter height, so the trees are at eye level. Some organizations
have table extenders for this purpose.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Dear Jim:

When someone would enter our home, right opposite the front door on the
opposite wall is a stairway. The builder had built a half brick wall to
hide the stairs. We kept artificial flowers which, was tacky, but the
display was hollow and since I had never grown anything. Could not
figure out how to put live flowers there.

When I started into the Bonsai addiction, I decide to display a Ficus
Benjamina forest where the artificial flowers had resided.

I had a three sided box built with a solid water proof bottom which was
about three inches tall in the front of the open box. I filled this area
with water. I hung lights and built a waterfall (to create humidity) I
then painted a backdrop to mimic the waterfall. Visitors to our home
are always impressed with this display. When I caused this display to be
built, I had never heard the word of Tokonoma, since I was just learning
to keep my trees alive and not getting into the cultural part of
Bonsai!!! To me this was just a way to display my forest and had
absolutely nothing to do with the idea of a Tokonoma.

Carl L. Rosner

Jim Lewis wrote:

I'm doing a program on displaying bonsai for our club in April --
just before our yearly show.

While it will include ways to display trees are exhibits and
shows, I want to cover display at the owner's home, or for
special events where one might have just one special display of
tree (and whatever).

I'd enjoy hearing from those of you who have used your trees as
part of some "event" or other. Did you display the tree alone,
with other trees, or with other objects of one kind or another?

Were your displays "Oriental" or a mixture of the Orient (the
bonsai, perhaps) and the Occident (something else?)

Where did your display go? Few western homes have anything
resembling the tokonoma (and I suspect that MOST Japanese homes
are the same, these days). Was it a centerpiece of a table?
Against a wall somewhere? In a corner? Entranceway?

I know Craig has used them in his Church, and Iris has tied her
trees into Judaism. I've brought bonsai into our local Taoist
organization; have others of you done similar things?

Please reveal all. ;-)

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden




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++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

I take a tree to the office each week and display it our lobby. We have a
full time receptionist so the there is not a security problem. A few times
people have brought small children into the office but so far (knock on wood)
there has not been a problem. There is a "coffee" table in the middle of our
waiting area with chairs around it. I purchased some Bonsai stands of
different sizes and simply display the tree on this table. I usually check
the tree for water once or twice a week and take it out to water for a few
hours if needed.
I first started bringing a tree for my own office, but management requested
that I do the lobby thing.
Although my job is not gardening at the company, I have become the person
responsible for our landscaping. We have a courtyard with grass, crape
myrtle, etc.
Billy on the Florida Space Coast

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From: Jim Lewis

Subject: [IBC] Bonsai display
I'd enjoy hearing from those of you who have used your trees as
part of some "event" or other. Did you display the tree alone,
with other trees, or with other objects of one kind or another?

Were your displays "Oriental" or a mixture of the Orient (the
bonsai, perhaps) and the Occident (something else?)
Where did your display go? Few western homes have anything
resembling the tokonoma (and I suspect that MOST Japanese homes
are the same, these days). Was it a centerpiece of a table?
Against a wall somewhere? In a corner? Entranceway?
-------------------------

Jim,
It is great to have you encourage displays. I know so many who never
display inside and yet it does so much for me and friends enjoy it.

My first and probably most successful display involved removing one small
sofa from the living room to the bedroom, leaving a space in a corner of the
room with windows on each side of the corner. Good for light on the
tree/trees I hoped. I bought a four panel shoji screen - all white to
improve lighting - used a coffee table with several oriental table mats as a
cover and put a maple and a suiseki stone on it. That was as far as I could
take it at that time, but it was so much the center of attention in the
room, to my guests and such a pleasure just for the household that I could
not stop displaying from then on.
The four panel screen had two panels as a back and two panels were the
sides which wing out slightly to avoid it looking too boxy. Later I found
that shortening the heighth of the screen some made the proportions look a
little more like a Golden Mean proportion, and had a better relationship to
the table display.
Since then I have been through numerous make-shift (if you wish to call
it that) methods of having a display. Once people saw one they expected it
thereafter. That is rewarding. They are beginning to know certain trees of
mine. They also notice the rock suiseki and are now asking questions about
it, too. When I am short of time I have just put a Bonsai book or magazine
beside the tree because some will pick it up and look at it. And, yes,
it has brought some people into a definite interest. When it does that I
help them pot up their first bonsai.

BTW, you can hang a scroll on the panels in back if wanted. My light
through windows made that impossible, but against another wall I learned to
attach a backing to the scroll and it was suitable to hide the panel's
cross-member shapes.

Another display I have used for summer months is made with an oriental 3
panel small screen probably designed for hanging on the wall, that fits
across the front of the fireplace, leaving the hearth ledge in front to
place a tree or in this situation I like saikei or a forest planting.
I always use suiseki with a display because the two together make a natural
pair, enhancing the idea of nature.

I wish you good results; I think your idea is the greatest - and you
will encourage some real pleasure for both the bonsaists and their friends.

Lynn
Lynn Boyd, Oregon, USA

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I take a tree to the office each week and display it our lobby.


Hmm. I wonder how many businesses would be amenable to this --
or bonsai owners, for that matter.

Thanks Billy. I'll use it.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - Our life is
frittered away by detail . . . . Simplify! Simplify. -- Henry
David Thoreau - Walden

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++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Good ideas, Lynn. Maybe someone down here will end up doing
something similar.

All of OUR flat surfaces are covered with horse sculptures -- old
and new -- from all corners of the world, so live trees seldom
make it indoors here, unfortunately. ;-)

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - "People,
when Columbus discovered this country, it was plum full of nuts
and berries. And I'm right here to tell you the berries are just
about all gone." -- Uncle Dave Macon, old-time musician




I wish you good results; I think your idea is the
greatest - and you
will encourage some real pleasure for both the bonsaists and
their friends.


************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Evergreen Gardenworks++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Jim Lewis wrote:

I'm doing a program on displaying bonsai for our club in April --
just before our yearly show.

While it will include ways to display trees are exhibits and
shows, I want to cover display at the owner's home, or for
special events where one might have just one special display of
tree (and whatever).

I'd enjoy hearing from those of you who have used your trees as
part of some "event" or other. Did you display the tree alone,
with other trees, or with other objects of one kind or another?

snip

Please reveal all. ;-)

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL


In June I'm going to be helping with setting up for the annual meeting for the
state conference of my denomination. The theme is tree-related, and I'm going to
be setting up a number (probably 8-10) vignettes or displays of trees, viewing
stones, etc. illustrating various tree-related biblical passages. Trees will be
the dominant theme. I will post pics on the gallery after the fact, with suitable
warnings for those who are religiously intolerant.

Craig Cowing
NY
Zone 5b/6a

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