List of potters

[Leigh Taafe]

Hi Everyone

Is there a list somewhere of commercially recognised Australian bonsai potters somewhere?
If not, is there someone in the industry that could help me compile a list?

[gyrza]

That is a list I would like to see. Being relatively new to the practice, and living in the sticks. Finding pots seems to be one of the hardest and most frustrating things, especially bigger ones.

[Theodore]

This would be most useful. Members of the Albury Wodonga Bonsai Society asked this question of me at out most recent meeting.
Along with that, I have a thing for pots....can't seem to get enough of them

[thoglette]

Surprisingly there's a few threads on this in the ""Pots, benches and stands subforum, like this one

The challenge is it's very much a moving target, as potters change their output areas almost as quickly as the average bonsai fan changes species. And that's before we argue about exactly what "commercially recognised" means.

I could be really lazy and say that anyone listed on someone's shop site is commercially recognised & therefore define the answer to be anyone who's listed on a commercial site (such as bonsai island). But that would be ignoring more than half of the potters I know of, some whom only exist on facebook or similar.

[melbrackstone]

Surprisingly, Etsy has a good list too, if you can get their search to work effectively.

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/SamarkandP ... 1111879652
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/MudMagicCe ... 1113328176
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/CatherineH ... 1098827277
https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/BonsaiSkos ... =879170463

[MCA]

Hi, I'm new to this site and forum so forgive me any mistakes in forum etiquette. I'd like to add my name to your list of etsy bonsai potters.

https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/APottersTa ... d=21515983

I've also been looking for a potter to help me develop my bonsai potting skills and share bonsai pot philosophy. I think that I might just have found the right forum.
Cheers

[GavinG]

Making bonsai pots can be tricky - what pleases you as a potter can be too colourful/dramatic/overpowering for a tree to pair with. Maybe go for mottled, softer colours, less formal shapes (there are already thousands of square/rectangle/oval/round commercial pots) - and a perfect sense of proportion! Good drainage holes, small holes in the base to thread wires through, (that hold the tree secure) and no dips in the base where water can pool and encourage rot. A pot needs to complement the tree, and enhance it, not compete with it or dominate it. Trees have complicated shapes and textures, so bold, plain shapes and colours can often jar the eye.

You might find it useful to go to shows and shops, to see how well (or badly!) trees harmonise with their pots, and go from there. And maybe grow some trees of your own! It takes fine judgement - "creative" and "interesting" often don't work well matching with bonsai. Bright flowers can balance brighter pot colours, the more muted colours of many Australian native trees need gentle handling.

And good luck!

Gavin

[MCA]

Thank you GavinG. Your advice much apptreciated!

[Tom88F]

I have come across this page for aussie potters. Was done in 2019 for the Earth and Fire Event I believe.

Link below:
https://mattsbonsaiblog.com/bonsai-pots/

Could be of help for you to contact them and see if they can help.
I also know of Brendon Norton of Bad Swan Ceramics in WA. He has some real skill in his making of pots.

Hope this helps.

[MCA]

Good morning Tom88F, thank you for your really helpful reply. I'll definitely follow up on these leads. I actually did go to the Earth and Fire event 2019 and was really impressed, I remember Boris Lomov's work very well. I can't believe the beauty of Matt's pot collection. Cheers.