Well, this thread has had 223 viewings, so there are still interested people around who check up on the AoB. I was beginning to doubt whether there were any left, at one stage.
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I find myself agreeing with you as to what the forum lacks, namely the ability to uplaod pics and articles from the members.
Thanks, Will, and yes, I received your e-mail. Thank you for that too.
I thought that one of the advantages of having a gallery might be that it is often easier to illustrate one's thoughts rather than to express them in words. Having this opportunity might appeal to those who have been silent, or nearly so, in the past.
Another advantage might be that we would get more "I see (...) and therefore... etc.", rather than "I feel". Feelings are very much interwoven with one's response to bonsai, but expressing them, and building upon them, tends to accentuate the difficulty that exists in being objective.
I have a big question, though. How can a gallery on this forum avoid becoming just a duplicate of the excellent IBC and Bonsai Talk ones?
If it can't, then there is no need for it.
Differentiation from other forums lies in the focus on
the art of bonsai. OK, but how is the art to be detached from the means to achieve it? In other words, what, exactly, is
the art of bonsai by itself?
It seems to me that it is important for a new gallery that this be worked out.
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I hereby apologize if anything I said was construed as being personally vindictive.
Not at all, John.
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I hope you won't give up on this forum and post as much as your time permits.
Thank you for your kind message, Attila.
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We really want this to be as eclectic as possible.
That would be great. Bonsai is going to grow in the West regardless of Western "bonsai patriotism" (which sometimes smacks of bonsai chauvinism - sorry!). This does not mean that I dislike typically Western characteristics, far from it! I remember with enjoyment the exhibition with Udo Claassen's paintings in Germany, and Rob Kempinski's description of a show display he organised in Florida.
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The potential for AoB to become an archive of poignant thought (...)
"Poignant thought?" Most people would see this as "profoundly moving".
Too much of a good thing for me! And, I suspect, for many of the silent majority also. -- Well, it takes all kinds to make a world.
Good luck, Will, Carl and Attila.
Lisa