Orchid Art by Charles Hess at the 2018 West Shore Orchid Society Show

This year’s West Shore Orchid Society show was also host to the Mid-America Orchid Congress. Orchid expert Tom Mirenda of the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden was a main attraction. The show, held in Strongsville,Ohio, just south of Cleveland,  drew a sizeable crowd of orchid enthusiasts who came to see and buy orchids, and to hear the speakers. The Mid-America Orchid Congress is gigantic, covering an area of 16 states from the Canadian border all the way down to Florida.  

Talking up orchid conservation with visitors at the 2018 West Shore Orchid Show

For the second year in a row I have had the opportunity to participate the West Shore Orchid Society’s show in three distinct ways. First, I had a booth to promote orchid conservation, my principal reason for attending shows. Second, there was also the chance to enter my orchid prints as a display of original orchid art, and I was extremely pleased to be awarded the blue ribbon. And third, I had a table of orchid-related items which I sell and donate 100% of the gross proceeds to the conservation organizations shown to the right. Included in my sales items are sets of “orchid-gami” created by the Smithsonian North American Orchid Conservation Center. I also sell note cards featuring my watercolors, coffee mugs with my watercolor images on them, bookmarks and other items.