AusBonsai

I recently attended the weekend Newcastle Bonsai Society show on 7th and 8th November and it was a fantastic show. What a great show they put on, and wow, what a fantastic collection of trees to display and sell. My son loved the many display trees too. One highlight was getting some Penny Davis pots, and thus went to her place and acquired more of these beautiful pots.

The thing I love most about her free form pots is the raw look of these earthy pots, and also the lichen look she puts on some. Fortunately this lovely green lichen look is so realistic it goes perfectly with the real thing on my Casuarina trunks. I look forward to potting them up in the future with my casys Thanks Penny. Oh, in case anyone is interested, the link for her and other aussie potters is:

https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... _Australia

Nice pots there Rory be great to see some of the others side on views to show the full aesthetic of these beauties ... maybe when you pot them up with some trees!

Rory wrote:One highlight was getting some Penny Davis pots, and thus went to her place and acquired more of these beautiful pots.

Has she got any left? Nice haul

Nice collection Rory. Its not hard to build up a collection [hoard] of Mudlark stuff!

Its like potters anonymous.... hi everyone

ahem...my name is Rory... I haven't bought a pot for... 24 hours now.

....

Yeah, I'll show the pots better when I actually use them. Until now, they will sit quietly.

Penny, the pot shown in the third photo is wonderful. I love its ..... not quite sure of the word I want...is it seductiveness?

Rory, are you planning on taking control of the market for crafted pots in Australia? Surely, by now, you have enough to open your business.

On behalf of the potters, thankyou

Cheers,
Pat

Pat K wrote:Penny, the pot shown in the third photo is wonderful. I love its ..... not quite sure of the word I want...is it seductiveness?

Rory, are you planning on taking control of the market for crafted pots in Australia? Surely, by now, you have enough to open your business.

On behalf of the potters, thankyou

Cheers,
Pat

Hi Pat!!! I hope you are well mate. All hail lord Pat the potter

Oh my gosh! Tell me about that pot Pat. I loved that pot, I saw it at Penny's house and I just had to have it. It just oozes with an Australian Bush forest feel. I could take a photo of the rocks around the national park here, and it would look exactly like that pot, it is a work of art!
It was quite amazing seeing how much other hobbies Penny does too. But her pots just blew me away. I guess, being a professional Lego builder, I can very much appreciate the time and effort both design wise and effort that goes into something this awesome.

One of the problems I see with the Australian Potters is that there isn't enough of them! I am worried if/when Pat, Penny and other greats stop making pots, that it is such a 'do it for the love of it' hobby, that young generations will think 'yeah right', why on earth would I put all my effort into it just to get paid diddly when I can be a graphic designer and get paid over $100k or $150k. To become a really great potter, they have to put a huge number of years into it, as we can see from Penny and Pat, that I can't see new potters starting an apprenticeship for a career in this. Sad. I guess its the same philosophy with me ; I could get $150k plus if I worked in Sydney, but I choose life and so I have to take what I can get here on the coast so I can be with my family and not spend half my life commuting.

My wife just goes -> Yeah, its Rory. He's OCD. Apparently she thinks I obsess about things....golf....bonsai....lego....having more kids....spending all my time with the family.... I'll admit she may have a point. But my wife likes to display wall art in the house, I guess I'm the same but I display my art outside with pots and bonsai.

Having received an inheritance from my late mother, she told me before she passed, 'when I'm gone, buy lots of those lovely pots I saw at your house and put my bonsai in them' (it was Pat Kennedy pots at the time), and put all mine and your bonsai in them, sell both places and retire early. Its kind of sad but she said to me, 'Rory, money wont make you happy, I wish I was a bit more like you and enjoyed my money more' as she was terminally ill at that point, (she was a compulsive saver and hardly ever holidayed). Her love was just seeing me happy, and spending time with her own dog and building up a nest egg for retirement. Unfortunately some people don't get to enjoy their nest egg as you don't know what is around the corner, which is why we need to find things we love as hobbies now rather than waiting till retirement.

Anyway, I hope that my kids take up the love of bonsai after me, because there is no way anyone else is getting my hand made pots from all the wonderful aussie potters out there. I am going to hypnotize my children into appreciating them and each taking a 50% share in my bonsai. I've already told Bowie that all the Lego is his, but Daddy just needs to occasionally use it for building purposes. Actually, bowie is so excited because Penny gave him an accent pot on the weekend for free after we bought the pots, and he has placed a fern from the garden in it with my help. He now has quite an interest in them, and proudly tells people he has 6 bonsai. He hasn't used his Pat pots yet, because his trees aren't big enough yet, but hopefully soon.

Rory, if you wind that spring too tightly, it'll break!!

Rory wrote: ... when I can be a graphic designer and get paid over $100k or $150k. ...

Hi Rory, I guess that's the problem with misconceptions and stereotypes, most graphic designers don't get paid this sort of $$ (and I won't generalise on their situations where they do ... ) A bit like people's stereotypes of Chefs, Actors, etc blah blah blah

I've found life isn't about how much you can can pay for a bonsai, it's enjoying learning the skills to create your own

Good to hear you've found LIFE / WORK / FAMILY (/ HOBBY) balance and keeping the next generation interested in bonsai, might have to give them some future pottery lessons as well!

cre8ivbonsai wrote:

Rory wrote: ... when I can be a graphic designer and get paid over $100k or $150k. ...

Hi Rory, I guess that's the problem with misconceptions and stereotypes, most graphic designers don't get paid this sort of $$ (and I won't generalise on their situations where they do ... ) A bit like people's stereotypes of Chefs, Actors, etc blah blah blah

Well, the good ones do. My wife is a graphic designer and she was on that level when she was working in Sydney. It wasn't the point about a specific role paying a certain amount $$$$, the point was simply there are oodles and oodles of jobs that would pay a lot more than being a potter.

If you want to be a graphic designer on over $100k, you work hard, you apply to large companies, and work your way up like she did. 20 years in the potters industry is not going to give you the same opportunities as mainstream employment I can assure you.

There are technical support roles for helpdesk which offer over $100k, and there are roles which only offer $50k. Apples and oranges

Yes, much appreciation admiration to potters for the passion, toil and skill that results in great Aussie hand made pots.

But I don't know what the average income is, you are probably right, as she has been in the industry for 20 years. Sorry if that reply sounded rude mate

Rory wrote:Its like potters anonymous....
Yeah, I'll show the pots better when I actually use them. Until now, they will sit quietly.

They wont sit around for long trust me, they lend themselves to alot of different styles/variety of trees Iv noticed. It must really say something about hand made pots when its hard not to find something to go in them. 95% of my mudlark stuff is in action atm.

Best example: viewtopic.php?f=87&t=20031&start=0&hilit=linariifolia

Andrew F wrote:

Rory wrote: Best example: viewtopic.php?f=87&t=20031&start=0&hilit=linariifolia

That's quite fitting actually Andrew. Because I remember seeing this tree and pot when Hugh brought it into one of the meetings and thinking 'nice!'. It was the first time in person I had seen a Penny Davis pot potted up.

Rory wrote:

Andrew F wrote:

Rory wrote: Best example: viewtopic.php?f=87&t=20031&start=0&hilit=linariifolia

That's quite fitting actually Andrew. Because I remember seeing this tree and pot when Hugh brought it into one of the meetings and thinking 'nice!'. It was the first time in person I had seen a Penny Davis pot potted up.

Even though consciously the pot was made well before I had even ripped that mel out of the ground, they were made for one another. It grounds the tree well. I cant wait to see what you put in the massive pot from saturday. I reckon a Cassie forest/clump would suit it.

Hi Rory,
I have both Penny and Pat's pots. They are very good potters and have produced some great pots. Every time I've used them they look good with whatever goes into them.

Regards Ray