Some new pots for your consideration

[anttal63]

G-day mate!

Your input is always welcome.

I appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to comment.

If your up to it, I would appreciate your input on the same question I posed to Bill and rock. only from an Aussie point of view? Would these combinations be useful with any Aussie native material?

Cheers,
Paul

Are you kidding??? Your pots would be magical with Aussie natives!!!

1st lot would work really well with Banksia serrata
2nd lot i see Paper barks, also Hakea with the speckled nut on show
3rd yum that flat warm tone would look so sexy on the Banksia integrafolia's + cassuarina's weeping & river sheoaks.
4th lot has Red spotted gum all over it!
5th lot now you really have my attention, they are magnificent!!! This particular finish with its rusty tones mimics our sunburnt country and would lend its self beautifully to the Peppermint gum, Nicholli.

 

[biglou13]

I'm not clear on what you mean by "some pieces will need a stronger 'frame'." Would you care to elaborate?
QUOTE]

frame :: painting/ photograph

bonsai (pot = frame)

some have very distinct transition/ strong rim color, that may take away or compliment the tree.
i think the pots with the stronger contrast (rim to pot) may need to pair with stronger, bolder tree, perhaps bunjin


im of the old school thought process let the work/tree speak for itself. frame (pot) should compliment not not draw the eye away from.... pot 3 has a brown rim not black, transition is softer, eye doesn't jump to it

yes blonde maple is my go to frame of choice for flat art.

for the most part pot with a strong rim color (contrast) may draw too much attention to pot/rim. pots 1,3,5 of original post.

im not saying it won't work, it will take more creative risk, skill to pair with appropriate subject.

its difficult but possible to pair a tie with a gingham check shirt, not just possible but stylish


i'm impressed the oxide engobe it looks wood fired!!!

 

[pjkatich]

I really like the texture on 3 and 4 of your first post, but as always they are all great.

Hey Francis,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's good to hear from you.

@rockm I have seen some of the trees that have gone in Pauls Pots and they are anything but starter bonsai and the purchasers are a long way from beginners, And if I'm not mistaken, Suthin pick up a couple of Paul's pots in January 2010.

I appreciate your kind words and your support.

Regards,
Paul

 

[pjkatich]

Are you kidding??? Your pots would be magical with Aussie natives!!!

1st lot would work really well with Banksia serrata
2nd lot i see Paper barks, also Hakea with the speckled nut on show
3rd yum that flat warm tone would look so sexy on the Banksia integrafolia's + cassuarina's weeping & river sheoaks.
4th lot has Red spotted gum all over it!
5th lot now you really have my attention, they are magnificent!!! This particular finish with its rusty tones mimics our sunburnt country and would lend its self beautifully to the Peppermint gum, Nicholli.

This is great feedback Antonio.

Information like this is very helpful to me.

I hate to say it, but I struggle at times with matching up trees to some of the finishes I have developed.

If you can see these many possibilities than I am heading in the right direction.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[pjkatich]

frame :: painting/ photograph

bonsai (pot = frame)

some have very distinct transition/ strong rim color, that may take away or compliment the tree.
i think the pots with the stronger contrast (rim to pot) may need to pair with stronger, bolder tree, perhaps bunjin


im of the old school thought process let the work/tree speak for itself. frame (pot) should compliment not not draw the eye away from.... pot 3 has a brown rim not black, transition is softer, eye doesn't jump to it

yes blonde maple is my go to frame of choice for flat art.

for the most part pot with a strong rim color (contrast) may draw too much attention to pot/rim. pots 1,3,5 of original post.

im not saying it won't work, it will take more creative risk, skill to pair with appropriate subject.

its difficult but possible to pair a tie with a gingham check shirt, not just possible but stylish

Thanks Lou, that makes a great deal of sense.

i'm impressed the oxide engobe it looks wood fired!!!

You have a good eye, I was hoping someone would pick up on that fact. It was my intent to recreate that unglazed, wood fired look with this finish.

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.

Paul

 

[pjkatich]

Here are a few more for your consideration.

These are made from brown stoneware clay bodies high-lighted with complimentary dark glazes.

Any thoughts on this set?

 

[Si Nguyen]

very nice pots Paul! Very good reading thread too!
This is my favorite pot in this series. This tall shape is very versatile. Does it have 4 feets? I normally prefer 3 feets, but this pot looks great with those feet location.
Thanks for showing your work!

 

[rockm]

"@rockm I have seen some of the trees that have gone in Pauls Pots and they are anything but starter bonsai and the purchasers are a long way from beginners, And if I'm not mistaken, Suthin pick up a couple of Paul's pots in January 2010."

Then Suthin has a good eye. Doesn't necessarily mean my assumption is wrong. How many is Suthin using for his trees? Bonsaiist pick up nice pots, simple as that. I have many that are pretty adequate, round with nice glazes, but I don't really use them for trees.

"Base on the color of the glaze/claybody combinations that I have shown in this thread, are there any particular pots that you feel would match up with a specific tree species?"

Species really doesn't matter, although the color and texture would go with collected boxwood, elms, oaks, garden grown azaleas, blueberry, hornbeam, and a few others. Trunk and bark texture matter on collected stuff and that can vary greatly, even in the same species.

I really like the irregular rough pots. I use those for accent plantings. There used to be a local potter in this area who made rough slabs, curved platforms, etc. using clay with ground up porcelain 1/4" to 1/8" in size and salt glazes--which give them the appearance of the earth, field and woodland soil. The porcelain chunks look like rocks strewn around. I've got a few of those. They are very good with rustic arrangements. The guy stopped making bonsai stuff and went back to making dinnerware He felt his work was being subjugated to trees.

If I had any criticism on your irregulars, I'd say "make them rougher." They're a little too tame in the finish and edges..

 

[pjkatich]

very nice pots Paul! Very good reading thread too!
This is my favorite pot in this series. This tall shape is very versatile. Does it have 4 feets? I normally prefer 3 feets, but this pot looks great with those feet location.
Thanks for showing your work!

Si, it's nice to have your feedback.

That particular pot has 5 feet. I normally cut 5 feet into all my round pots. I personally like the way the pots look with 5 feet. To me, this layout presents a stable, balanced look.

I don't have a photo of the bottom of that particular pot. However, I have attached a couple of photo's of one of the first batch of pots I posted. This is how I typically finish the bottoms of round pots.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Paul

 

[pjkatich]

If I had any criticism on your irregulars, I'd say "make them rougher." They're a little too tame in the finish and edges..

Good suggestion rock.

When you say "rougher", do you mean more texture?

Are either of these two pots more of what you had in mind?

Thanks for the feedback,
Paul

 

[Klytus]

I must say the five footed round is most appealing,especially the smooth charred rim.

But do they weather well?

To look forward to the ravages of time and the elements could take a long time if it is an indoor ornament.

Maybe this is the rough that is sought,your pots are too perfect!

More entropy needed?

 

[rockm]

"When you say "rougher", do you mean more texture?"

I do mean texture, as well as shape. The edges on both of these have regular from carving (I think). Take a look here at the texture of the slabs being used:
http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/2009/09/big-rock-pots.html

Also, while I'm not really suggesting you copy these exactly--you have your own style and finishes, check out the texture and shapes used in the slabs and crescent pots here:

http://www.bonsaitrees.com/gallery.php?id=5

 

[pjkatich]

I must say the five footed round is most appealing,especially the smooth charred rim.

But do they weather well?

To look forward to the ravages of time and the elements could take a long time if it is an indoor ornament.

Maybe this is the rough that is sought,your pots are too perfect!

More entropy needed?

Klytus,

You comment that the "pots are too perfect", is this a drawback in you opinion? I have heard this before and I really don't know how to respond, except to say thank you.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.

Cheers,
Pau

 

[pjkatich]

"When you say "rougher", do you mean more texture?"

I do mean texture, as well as shape. The edges on both of these have regular from carving (I think). Take a look here at the texture of the slabs being used:
http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/2009/09/big-rock-pots.html

Also, while I'm not really suggesting you copy these exactly--you have your own style and finishes, check out the texture and shapes used in the slabs and crescent pots here:

http://www.bonsaitrees.com/gallery.php?id=5

Thanks for posting these links rock, now I see exactly what you are suggesting.

Paul

 

[pjkatich]

Here are few more.

This set of pots is made from a tan colored clay-body and all are finished with a shino glaze.

Any thoughts on this finish?

Have a great day,
Paul

 

[Klytus]

I think crusty may be the word i was looking for.

Can different clays be mixed rather poorly and with firing create a glassification at the interface between the two?

Sort of like sweating out introduced impurities to form a bloom in some areas and a crust of slag in others.

Like a glaze but without a glaze.

Or would it just explode in the kiln?

 

[Dav4]

Klytus,

You comment that the "pots are too perfect", is this a drawback in you opinion? I have heard this before and I really don't know how to respond, except to say thank you.

I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with me.

Cheers,
Pau

Careful, don't make eye contact with him or try to get his attention in any way! You'll regret it. Now, step away, slowly:}}

 

[Klytus]

Is it a sort of Samian wear?

The Romans also had a technique for roughening up the pots as used in the Mortarium interior.

 

[pjkatich]

I think crusty may be the word i was looking for.

Yes, crusty would be a good term for what was suggested.

Can different clays be mixed rather poorly and with firing create a glassification at the interface between the two?

Yes, clay bodies can be mixed as you suggest. However, not all clay bodies are created equal. Most have different shrinkage rates and mixing them "poorly" may not compensate for this fact.

Sort of like sweating out introduced impurities to form a bloom in some areas and a crust of slag in others.

To my knowledge, no. This type of reaction is not possible using just a standard, commercial clay body. Something would have to be added to induce such results.

Or would it just explode in the kiln?

No explosion, most likely the different clay bodies would separate at the interface points.

Cheers,
Paul

 

[Klytus]

It's good to know,if one wants crusty one has to put it there by hand.

Keep on potting!