Borukan Mask Making and Orchids
I don’t know that much about orchids, beyond my admiration
for them, and I can never get them to bloom for me again. But I understand
someone having a passion for them. I was stopped in my tracks at the Northwest
Orchid Society’s display garden, “Masked Perfection--Are Orchids the Perfect
Mask?” A Costa Rican, Pedro Rojas
Morales was demonstrating the art of carving the multi-colored masks. He did not speak English; however, his hands
spoke a language everyone could understand--art. A Borucan Indian, he carves masks out of
balsa wood or cedar, a long time tradition of their culture.
In the garden display, the mask is used as a metaphor to the orchid, which nature created “…through color, shape and aroma to attract the one significant insect or animal…” I will let the following photos paint the story.
Click on images for larger versions.
A real crowd pleaser.
uary 15-17. Portlanders should be proud of their garden
show. Although it’s smaller than the
Northwest Flower & Garden Show, it has a lot to offer show goers, no matter
if you are expert or beginner gardener. The
seminars alone are worth the price of admission into the show, with many
choices for each time slot. Thursday
night I will put up a few photos for you to get a sneak peek at the display
gardens before they officially open to the public. Unfortunately, I only have one day to enjoy
the show, and then I head back north full of ideas for my own garden. For you avid gardeners, I recommend going
more than one day to take it all in. 
