AusBonsai

So my mother is something of an accomplished ceramic artist and has a fair bit of spare time on her hands nowdays, so obviously i got in her ear to start making pots for me.
Although initially reluctant - apparently she tried about 20 years ago to crack into the Australian bonsai trade and nobody was interested in her uneven glazing, rough textures etc... because they didnt look slick and perfect like the majority of stuff at the time.
Anyway... the other night she stopped by with a couple of things from a test firing.
Constructive criticism is welcomed

cheers

H

Hi.

Think you had better chain her to the kiln..

Get her going

Can you show the inside?

Regards.
Irish.

Yeah I'll get some inside shots up later, there is a lot of variation in drainage holes and wiring holes - size, number and position.
As I say a test run only really to see how the clay dries etc...

Cheers

H

Keep that mum, Hayden.

The shapes look useful and well proportioned, the feet are well sized and the mottled surfaces will work well, I think. My only reservation is that white is possibly a bit stand-outish for bonsai - subtle darker shades might work better with trees. Nice shino glaze though, well used.

Gavin

They are fantastic. She may not have been able to sell 20 years back, but I'm sure she could now. Tastes change. Her pots look great.

Val Garth

Fantastic pots!

I would love to put some of my native trees in those. I think they're really lovely. If she starts taking orders I'd be up their in the que. Mum's ate great aren't they?

-Alex

What a pleasant surprise-I love the quality of Aussie potters...now to get a tree worthy of a decent pot...hmm

Lovely Stuff and encourage her to continue and experiment!

Ken

Great pots - they look well-made too. I remember those shino glazes and I quite like that Carbon-trap one.
Penny.

Hayden, I think the pots in photos 5 & 6 would look great at my place!!!
Fantastic effort and continued encouragement is essential. Don't forget the photos of the insides please.

Love them hayden. I could get myself some those
Love white rusty colors. Tell her they are beauties

So I've had a few pm's about selling some stuff.
Patience people, these were simply test runs, rest assured I will offer saleable items on here first before elsewhere.
As I said originally I'm happy to pass on constructive criticism, drainage holes being the biggest issue at the moment, colours are subjective but darker and celadon stuff is in the next firing.
Thanks guys

Hayden

Haydenmc wrote:Constructive criticism is welcomed

Firstly, ensure that the technical stuff is correct: drainage (how many do pots I have/see that have water traps?) and wiring holes. This is a major differentiator.

Secondly, as your mum will know well, getting the square and shallow right is just hard work and requires very good knowledge of how your clay behaves. Get mum to some shows or show her some good japanese pictures/product.

Finally, texture; shape and colour are subject to fickle fashion. If you can get the technical features right and control shrinkage/warpage the rest is reading the market. And driving the - mum needs a "chop" - even if it is restricted to her "very best" work.

cheers thoglette, there is a chop there - it can just be made out on the 3rd pic down in the last lot of shots - bits005.jpg.

H