September Meeting Saturday, September 9, 2023, 10 am Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens, Belmont, NC Annual Auction & Member Picnic The September meeting will be a busy one, starting with our Annual Auction (see details and guidelines below), followed by a Member Picnic. Mixed in will be an examination of trees, suiseki, and deadwood for potential display in the Bonsai Exhibition in October.
Auction Rules: Your auction item(s) can be trees, pot(s), tool(s), or anything bonsai-related. They can be single items or "lots". Please bring TWO 3x5 cards for each item/lot. One card goes to the Auctioneer and the other stays with your item. See Auction Process article for additional details. With an event of this magnitude, there are a few guidelines: • Only dues-paying members can place items in the auction for sale • Members can place up to 3 items/lots in the auction • Diseased trees will not be accepted. The auctioneer, Phil Elliott, reserves the right to refuse any item, and his decision is final • Buyers in the auction can be members, friends, or the public. Anyone can purchase any item, member or non-member. • Any item auctioned can have a minimum bid placed on it by the seller (noted on the 3x5 card that goes to the Auctioneer). If the auction does not generate a bid that equals or exceeds the minimum, the item does not sell. • Otherwise, all items are auctioned. A high bid wins the item. • All purchases must be settled with cash (preferred) or check. • The club receives 10% of all auction sales. If an item is donated to the club, 100% of the proceeds go to the club. • After the Auction has ended, members may set up and sell additional items. The Club receives 10% of those sales as well. Sellers are expected to maintain their sales tally and pay up before leaving.
Member Picnic: The Club Picnic is open to all dues-paying or Lifetime Membership members. The food will be from Smithfield’s Chicken & BBQ. Details and the deadline for placing your order are in the email.
2023 At a Glance 01/14 Collecting 02/11 Repotting Workshop 03/11 Black Pine Workshop (Gabe) 04/08 Auction & Serissa Workshop 05/13 Danny Coffey Demo & Workshop 06/10 Bonsai as Fine Art in Asheville 06/17 John Geanangel 07/08 Bonsai Learning Center Road Trip 08/12 Turntable/Display Stand Workshop & Tree Prep (Joe Herrick) 09/09 Auction / Picnic @ DSBG 10/14 Exhibition Tour @ DSBG 10/14-21 Bonsai Exhibition at DSBG 11/11 Styling & Wiring - BYOT 12/09 Holiday Party & Design Challenge
President’s Corner Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis knostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. Bonsai Carolinas September
2023 In Case You Missed It - August Meeting Recap Joe Herrick conducted a multi-media program on Bonsai Displays. He began the discussion with a simple walnut stand, noting that material expense is not significant, but the 15-20 hours of staining, polishing, and sealing are a major contributor to the overall cost. He talked about traditional Japanese indoor displays - tokonoma. Those displays typically tell a more elaborate story of the tree, where it grows naturally, what season is represented, etc. This type of display also tells us that bonsai trees should be as much eye level as possible. Trees that have a story are remembered long after trees without. The tree itself is the primary story - did it live a hard life filled with heavy winter snow or did it live a lush life in the middle of a field? The choice of a pot should support that story. Joe discussed pots - dimensions, types, finishes, depth, colors, etc. Proportions are important - the thickness of the trunk, the height of the tree, the width of the foliage, the characteristics of the bark, and others, all affect the choice of pots. Stands similarly contribute to the tree’s story. Color plays a less important role, but proportions continue to be relevant and important. Decorative elements of a stand help emphasize feminine trees, for example. A graceful literati would not look good on a substantial oak stand with strong legs. Joe asked how much each person would <anonymously> be willing to pay for his hand-made stand; he averaged those figures and arrived at $50. He then drew a raffle ticket and sold the stand to Ben Hester. Proceeds were donated to the Club. Congratulations, Ben!! Next
Meeting Sneak Peek - October In case you haven’t noticed, BSOC is sponsoring a Bonsai Exhibition at Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens October 14-22. This is our first show in several years and we’re starting simple - this is a non-judged Exhibition designed to introduce the public to bonsai. There will be a People’s Choice Award, presented at the November meeting. This will be an outdoor exhibit in DSBG’s White Garden. There are a limited number of spaces for trees, suiseki, and deadwood items. If you have an item to display, it MUST be approved by the Show Committee. Please bring it to the September 9 meeting at DSBG for the Committee to examine. If you cannot attend the September meeting in person, please send pictures, dimensions, and descriptions to bonsaisocietycarolinas@gmail.com. If possible, include a mobile number in case of follow-up questions. The October 14 meeting will be a walk-thru the Exhibit, with each artist spending 3-4 minutes telling the tree’s story.
Auction Process
• Prior to Auction
◦ Prepare items for Auction
▪ Sellers can place up to three items in the Auction
▪ Sellers prepare Item Labels (3x5 card)
▪ May be prepared at home
▪ One Item Label per auction item; for trees this includes:
▪ Common name (scientific optional)
▪ Owner/Seller name
▪ Minimum Bid (if applicable)
▪ Sellers prepare Sales Card (3x5 card)
▪ One Sales Card for each Item Label; for trees this includes:
▪ Common name (scientific optional)
▪ Owner contact info
▪ Notes for buyer
◦ Register items for Auction
▪ Seller gives prepared Item Labels to Treasurer
▪ Treasure records Seller name on Master List
▪ For each auction item
▪ Writes Master List Auction Number on Item Label
▪ Writes same Auction Number on the Sales Card
▪ Seller places Sales Card with Auction item
▪ Treasurer gives all Item Labels to Auctioneer
◦ Provide a Bidder Number (sequentially numbered 3x5 cards) to everyone who wants to bid at the auction
• During Auction
◦ Auctioneer uses Item Labels to describe items and seek bids
◦ Treasurer records on the Master List the sales price by Auction Number for each item sold and the Bidder Number of the person who made the winning bid
• After Auction
◦ Members may sell additional items (please bring your own table if you intend to sell items.
◦ Calculate total purchases by Bidder – Collect payment from Bidders
◦ Calculate total sales by Seller and pay Seller (total sales – 10% club fee)
Other News Why Can’t I Wire My Tree Anytime I Want? Michael Hagedorn published a recent blog titled “When Does Wood Swell?” It is a quick read on what’s happening within trees and explains why certain times of the year are best for wiring your trees. The link is here (https://crataegus.com/2023/08/28/when-does-wood-grow/. (Thanks to Gabe for highlighting this great reminder.)
Announcements As we expand our presence into the world of social media, we recognize the need for someone to manage that world for us. The Board is happy to announce that Matt Mohr is now our Media & Advertising Manager. If you have questions about our Facebook or Instagram presence, please contact Matt at MohrWM@att.net. Please welcome new member Gloria Levano. She joined at the August meeting. She is new to bonsai and may have questions. Phil Elliott resigned his position as At-Large Director - too many other major life happenings right now. Joe Herrick agreed to fill out his term. Meanwhile, Phil isn’t going anywhere — he will be our Auctioneer in September.
BSOC Executive Board
President - Sam Hronesz
VP - Gabe Steil Treasurer - John Farrell
Secretary - Gene Martin
NL Editor - Gene Martin
Media & Advertising - Matt Mohr
Show Manager - Susan Baucom
At Large Directors: Bonsai Carolinas
Susan Baucom
Joe Herrick
Nancy Lopez-Ibanez