I had a good time at the event and appreciate the opportunity to meet new bonsai friends and watch some lectures/demos. I have mentioned before that I am still new to bonsai and have had few opportunities to attend these types of events. I did tend to bounce around between rooms (exhibit hall, lecture, break-out demo room where the artists continued working the trees) and learned a bit, but I think next time, I should try to pick one or two trees/artists to follow and stick with them so as not to miss important pieces of information about how/why they made a style choice, or performed a particular technique.
I was also very thankful for the hospitality and friendliness of the artists. I ended up sitting with Tony Tickle during lunch, and was in his critique group. After the critique he and I sat down and talked for a bit about bonsai and non-bonsai stuff. He also introduced me to a few more artists, including Pauline Muth and Suthin Sukosolvisit.
All-in-all, I was very pleased with the whole day and wish I could have attended all three days, but such is life. I also look forward to attending more exhibitions in the future, including Rochester (which is only a six hour drive away)!
