New pots from a new potter. Comments wanted

[Josh]

Hi guys and gals,
I was at a market recently and saw a lady with bowls and vases she had made. I really liked the glaze she used and the quality of the bowls. Anyway we got chatting and I asked her about making bonsai pots. She has made a couple for me to look at. I'd be interested to hear people's comments on them. They are a bit different so interested to hear people thoughts. I will be meeting with her in a couple of weeks to see the pots in persons so would like have have some comments to take back to her good or bad.

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The crescent bowl dimensions are 29cm L x 13cm W x 18.5cm H

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The large flat tray (the one with the landscaping rocks) is 36cm L x 28cm W x 3.5cm H approx.

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The smaller, more rectangular one is 30cm L x 23cm W x 3cm H approx.

All comments are welcome.

Josh.

[Watto]

I'm impressed with the third photo, the smaller tray.

[trident76]

Beautiful pots.
I hope you purchased all of them and asked for more.
I have made several pots like this myself.
Who is the potter in question?
Luke.

[Elmar]

I would live the first pot in the texture of the second pot!
I'm still quite partial to traditional Pots but live he look (glaze or what ever) of the second and third pictures. I live earthy colours over the Greens/blues/and reds (not that there are many red pots!)


Cheers
Elmar

[Josh]

Thanks for the comments. I will be catching up with the potter and seeing the pots in person on the 14th. Hoping to offer feedback to the potter but with only 3 comments from 200 views wonder if its worth it Even if people don't like them would be good to know.

I'm impressed with the third photo, the smaller tray.

Watto I really like that one too.

Beautiful pots.
I hope you purchased all of them and asked for more.
I have made several pots like this myself.
Who is the potter in question?
Luke.

Hey Luke, I haven't actually see the pots yet in person but I like what she has done for her first try. She has some really nice glazes.

I would live the first pot in the texture of the second pot!
I'm still quite partial to traditional Pots but live he look (glaze or what ever) of the second and third pictures. I live earthy colours over the Greens/blues/and reds (not that there are many red pots!)


Cheers
Elmar

Thanks Elmar. Agree the first pot in second pot texture would look great. I'm hoping to get her to make a traditional pot in the first texture. Would suit a native well I think.

I'll have a look at them on the 14th and who knows, I might have some new pots for the collection.

Josh.

[Rory]

I love the look of the sides on the 2nd and 3rd pic, but I would want pots with a lot more depth for bonsai. But this would be a good look for natives. The other point I am not a fan of is the slight shine that has been given in some points because of the glaze... its too shiny in areas for natives in my opinion.. but this may be the angle of the photo and light, ... hard to say. Needs a more raw look without a glossy coating. I would def. buy if these points were addressed, as would be a great look.

[MoGanic]

Hi there,

The problem with pots is every one has different tastes in what they like.

A single pot may be liked by only a single person, and for that one person it is worth the effort.

To your post however, I love pot no 2 and 3 whereas pot no 1 has edges that are a little too smooth for my liking in a crescent pot. Still a great pot, but I'd look past it if I saw it on a shelf somewhere.

Pots 2 and 3 are great and certainly suit a lot of trees, not just natives. Which is good, because pots shouldn't be made to suit a single species - the only time a pot needs to be specific is when a potter is commissioned to create a pot for a specific tree by the trees owner. The depth is not an issue at all, a little muck around the edges would sort that out and allows to pot to retain some dexterity in aesthetics rather than becoming a boulder in which a tree has been placed. It allows the pot to flow more with the design. My vision for them would be to have a little muck around the edges and then moss atop the soil and muck to extenuate the natural feel of the overall composition.

Finally, these sorts of pots IMO should be used as display pots. Like a slab, its probably more ideal to have a tree in a different, deeper pot and only pot it up into something "special" when it is time for display. As far as I know that's what most nurseries do in Japan - Bjorn Bjorvala once said that they regularly pot tree's up in their display pots for shows and, at times, even "shoehorn" tree's in to make them fit. But the tree's are put back into their regular pots afterwards. (Note: I do not condone or support the shoehorning of trees into pots haha).

Cheers for posting,
Mo

[Jarad]

I like pot 2 the most as the edge reminds me of a stacked stone wall. Not really a fan of the landscaping rocks they just look a little fake, also aren't fake/man made rocks frowned upon within the bonsai community?

Using moss you could create a slope up to your tree (like in the image below) so the edge of the pot looks like a stone wall.

Stone Wall.jpg

The photo isn't mine, I grabbed it from here: http://www.mounthoodgardens.com/stone-in-the-garden

[Josh]

Hi there,

The problem with pots is every one has different tastes in what they like.

A single pot may be liked by only a single person, and for that one person it is worth the effort.

To your post however, I love pot no 2 and 3 whereas pot no 1 has edges that are a little too smooth for my liking in a crescent pot. Still a great pot, but I'd look past it if I saw it on a shelf somewhere.

Pots 2 and 3 are great and certainly suit a lot of trees, not just natives. Which is good, because pots shouldn't be made to suit a single species - the only time a pot needs to be specific is when a potter is commissioned to create a pot for a specific tree by the trees owner. The depth is not an issue at all, a little muck around the edges would sort that out and allows to pot to retain some dexterity in aesthetics rather than becoming a boulder in which a tree has been placed. It allows the pot to flow more with the design. My vision for them would be to have a little muck around the edges and then moss atop the soil and muck to extenuate the natural feel of the overall composition.

Finally, these sorts of pots IMO should be used as display pots. Like a slab, its probably more ideal to have a tree in a different, deeper pot and only pot it up into something "special" when it is time for display. As far as I know that's what most nurseries do in Japan - Bjorn Bjorvala once said that they regularly pot tree's up in their display pots for shows and, at times, even "shoehorn" tree's in to make them fit. But the tree's are put back into their regular pots afterwards. (Note: I do not condone or support the shoehorning of trees into pots haha).

Cheers for posting,
Mo

Hi Mo,
Those are the exact comments I'm after. I know pots are a personal thing and that's the problem. I know what I like but I don't know what you like.
I agree with your comment on pot 1. There was something bugging about it and that was it. The clay has fine sand like particles through it giving a rough rustic feel/look. I would like to a normal pot made out of it.
I think all these pots could do with some improvement which is why I'm asking for comments. I can tell her what I like but then I'm the only one buying them. maybe that's not a bad idea

I love the look of the sides on the 2nd and 3rd pic, but I would want pots with a lot more depth for bonsai. But this would be a good look for natives. The other point I am not a fan of is the slight shine that has been given in some points because of the glaze... its too shiny in areas for natives in my opinion.. but this may be the angle of the photo and light, ... hard to say. Needs a more raw look without a glossy coating. I would def. buy if these points were addressed, as would be a great look.

Hi bonsaibuddyman. I'm not sure if the shine is a result of the photo being taken or is the glaze. I agree really shiny is not good in this look. Will see what it is like in person. The depth was another thing i wasn't sure about. Depends on the size of the tree really. I've got carved rocks that aren't that deep but the trees are fine in them. Thanks for the comments.

Thanks for the comments, both positive and negative. This is what I'm after. Hopefully from this we help her improve to a saleable/likeable pot and we could have another Aussie potter

Josh.

[Gerard]

I like pot 1 but the high points are a little too high, stability is very important in this type of pot!

Pot 2 is very interesting but would be better without the sheen, is it deep enough? Slab style pots have very limited uses.

Pot 3 looks too heavy for my liking

[Josh]

I like pot 2 the most as the edge reminds me of a stacked stone wall. Not really a fan of the landscaping rocks they just look a little fake, also aren't fake/man made rocks frowned upon within the bonsai community?

Using moss you could create a slope up to your tree (like in the image below) so the edge of the pot looks like a stone wall.

Stone Wall.jpg

The photo isn't mine, I grabbed it from here: http://www.mounthoodgardens.com/stone-in-the-garden

Hi Jarad. The rocks were not my idea. Agree they probably don't really add value to the pot.

I like pot 1 but the high points are a little too high, stability is very important in this type of pot!

Pot 2 is very interesting but would be better without the sheen, is it deep enough? Slab style pots have very limited uses.

Pot 3 looks too heavy for my liking

Thanks Gerard. Yes the shape of the cascade pot is not quite there. I plan on taking one of my cascade pots for her to look at.
As I mentioned earlier I'm not sure if the sheen is camera related or glaze but agree.
Pot 3 would still be lighter than my rock pots

Thanks
Josh.

[Ryceman3]

I've looked at this post several times... and honestly "What would I know" is the feedback I keep coming back to BUT...
I'd love to see some more traditional pots. I'm not a fan of the crescent style and the slab/tray-style ones shown are interesting but more of a hard sell IMHO.... at a stretch I like #2, but wouldn't buy it unless I had a tree to put in it (which I don't!). The "vibe" of these pieces seem to suit natives and for that reason I'm keen to see more because I like the textures etc. from what I can see. In short, I think there's potential in the styles shown (particularly for natives) but I'd like to see some pots that are more "mainstream" in terms of format... But like I said : "what would I know"!!!

[Josh]

I've looked at this post several times... and honestly "What would I know" is the feedback I keep coming back to BUT...
I'd love to see some more traditional pots. I'm not a fan of the crescent style and the slab/tray-style ones shown are interesting but more of a hard sell IMHO.... at a stretch I like #2, but wouldn't buy it unless I had a tree to put in it (which I don't!). The "vibe" of these pieces seem to suit natives and for that reason I'm keen to see more because I like the textures etc. from what I can see. In short, I think there's potential in the styles shown (particularly for natives) but I'd like to see some pots that are more "mainstream" in terms of format... But like I said : "what would I know"!!!

Hi Ryceman3. Thank you for your comments. ALL comments are welcome as everyone's ideas are appreciated. I really like the texture of these pots and would love to see them in a more traditional style too I think there is potential here but needs refining. When I meet with her I will discuss some more traditional styled posts. As mentioned these pots really suit a select for styles of trees therefore limit there saleability. Hopefully the next firing will have se more traditional styles to show. Again thanks for your comments

Josh.

[GMA]

I'm partial to the flat trays so I have some bias. The colour and texture of those pots are really amazing, they are really worth taking a good close up look at.

I'm not so partial to crescent pots, but the texture on that first one is very interesting.

I would love to see them all with trees.

Overall I think they are excellent. A great example of some freeform creativity.

[Elmar]

Good effort, Josh.
How else will this craft grow and develop unless people put themselves out there!
I look forward to what comes out of this, in some way we're 'designing' our future!



Cheers
Elmar