American-made ceramics forms

[sorce]

I forgot how I used to make these, I know some were accidental. Today I made templates for this. I love this shape.



Sorce

 

[Carol 83]

I forgot how I used to make these, I know some were accidental. Today I made templates for this. I love this shape.

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Sorce

My very favorite pot.

 

[sorce]

My very favorite pot.View attachment 343381

I came across these original pictures deleting stuff the other day! I don't know which I love more, that pot, or your relationship with that pot!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

This one seems IMPOSSIBLY masculine,

I been meaning to ask you for an extended definition of this.

I think it's because anything without a pronounced lip, I consider Feminine. Though I don't really work with this in consideration much at all.

I would appreciate any thoughts and further conversation on the matter!

Sorce

 

[bwaynef]

I been meaning to ask you for an extended definition of this.

I think it's because anything without a pronounced lip, I consider Feminine. Though I don't really work with this in consideration much at all.

I would appreciate any thoughts and further conversation on the matter!

Sorce

I may've made a little bigger deal out of its masculinity, but I don't see much feminine in this design. The only nuance that seems to soften the masculinity is the slight flare at the base.

 

[Tom438]

I’ve been stalking this page a bit, and finally made an account because this discussion is a fascinating one for me. I have some perspective from the selling side of things in relation to your original comment. I have been doing pottery on and off as a hobby for 15 years. I only just stumbled into bonsai a little over a year ago. The virus led to a severe cutback in hours at work, which led to much more time to do pottery!
I quickly found the Facebook auction sites and decided to start making and selling bonsai pots to try and shore up my lacking income. I can tell you that there is a large gap between what bonsai aesthetics demand vs what sells. The flashy glazed, wheel thrown pots simply do better than the crisp lined unglazed rectangles! I can make 5 wheel thrown pots in the time it takes to make one nice rectangle, but the rectangle won’t sell for much more money than the round. Getting nice clean lines on the wheel is as easy as turning the wheel for a few seconds with a smooth sponge. Rectangles take a much more delicate approach.
This, combined with a large number of imported Chinese mold-made rectangles, just seems to make it uneconomical for me as a potter and businessman to make rectangular pots. If I had a name out there with a following, I could sell for a bit more and make it worth while, but then I could still make more money with flashy glazed round pots.
I have a new job now with only a little time for pottery on the weekends, but I did see another post with a man doing rectangles over a styrafoam form. This method intrigues me greatly, and I think I want to explore it quite a bit more when I get some more time (and when my unheated shed gets warmer next spring!)

 

[sorce]

@bwaynef , I'd like to hear more of what your, and everyone's, definition of "crisp" is. Where do you draw the...line, between crisp and not crisp, "Perfect"-"not perfect", next level-subpar?

To me, too perfect seems factory produced, so I don't mind working just before perfect. Enough sign of hands to know it's not slip cast. Leaving what gives the pot it's energy.

These four corners are technically different to me. This profile edge is what I consider the most important as far as "perfect", since it determines directionality more than anything except further decor or glaze.

So my personal realm of perfect, is within .5% of something intended to be symmetrical. This is about 1% off.

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Thanks for your Thoughts.

Sorce

This clay doesn't like drying with the furnace on. Cracked. I ash glazed it and fired it anyway, glad so.



Half Cone 6 Half Cone 8! It's probably not gonna test vitreous so it will get thrown into the winter for testing for real!


Would you use a pot with an ash glaze like this?

Kinda makes it untradishish.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Not yet, I realized the other day I haven't used this clay for this style yet. Been making smaller quicker stuff to see how it fires. Except one oval which spanned 12inches and didn't sag so I expect this to stay as straight. Likely vitreous at Cone 8, I've tested it vitreous at 7 and 9, cracks at 10. So this and my blend will be all over the middle 3 shelves of my biggun, Debbiezula. It will probably fire well at the bottom of my baby kiln too, which is nice, because the heavy wood stoking can turn it brown.

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That ash glaze is finally beading up for a drip too!

As far as that French Word, French?...

I got a couple smaller rectangles with some texture and further linage that'll likely get fired tomorrow!

Thanks! Get that 1k!

Sorce

This Ash Glaze is advancing.



Sorce

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

This clay doesn't like drying with the furnace on. Cracked. I ash glazed it and fired it anyway, glad so.

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Half Cone 6 Half Cone 8! It's probably not gonna test vitreous so it will get thrown into the winter for testing for real!
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Would you use a pot with an ash glaze like this?

Kinda makes it untradishish.

Sorce

Difficult to picture the right tree in it. Interesting glaze for sure.

 

[sorce]

This is more along my lines of traditional.

Interesting glaze for sure.

Thought it might help put the "melt" back in "melted" for @Owen Reich , BTW @Bonsai Nut I see the already completed Teleperion Relief on the Banner, and Owen hasn't reached his goal yet. Sorry to jam it in here.



And just for something easier to pair.







Sorce

 

[bwaynef]

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@sorceI think this would meet most definitions of crisp ... I appreciate the line (curve) created by the flare at the bottom but everything that's straight ...seems to stay that way for the length of its run.

Has this pot made it through any firings?

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This is an example of what I'm looking to avoid. The build process looks clean and sleek and smooth, but the drying and firing process introduces a degree of randomness that ruins what once was.

Would you use a pot with an ash glaze like this?

I can't picture something right off, but maybe a quince,

 

[shinmai]

I’m somewhat surprised that Chuck Iker’s name hasn’t come up. I own eighteen or twenty of his pots, from mame size up to one my wife has threatened to bake an apple pie in. He tends to work largely in the round, but when he does do the occasional rectangular form, I would describe it as crisply elegant. All of his pots that I own are beautifully glazed, light and tasteful in form, and finished as though they are waiting to welcome the right occupant. He does not do sloppy “rustic” pinch pots, or amorphous slabs. I consider him one of the best American bonsai potters working today [obviously, or else I wouldn’t have a whole “Chuck” section in the display cabinets in my workroom]. If you’re not willing to buy a patinated antique pot from Japan, you’d be hard pressed to surpass his work for elegant beauty.

The other name to which I would draw attention is Ashley Keller, the Canadian artist. Sadly, it seems that she has left bonsai pots behind to produce custom ceramic tiles. I have a couple of little 3” accent pots from her that are just breathtaking. Lucky I got them before she moved on.

 

[sorce]

If you do Shohin without an Iker option you won't have a good display.

Sorce

 

[Carol 83]

I’m somewhat surprised that Chuck Iker’s name hasn’t come up. I own eighteen or twenty of his pots, from mame size up to one my wife has threatened to bake an apple pie in. He tends to work largely in the round, but when he does do the occasional rectangular form, I would describe it as crisply elegant. All of his pots that I own are beautifully glazed, light and tasteful in form, and finished as though they are waiting to welcome the right occupant. He does not do sloppy “rustic” pinch pots, or amorphous slabs. I consider him one of the best American bonsai potters working today [obviously, or else I wouldn’t have a whole “Chuck” section in the display cabinets in my workroom]. If you’re not willing to buy a patinated antique pot from Japan, you’d be hard pressed to surpass his work for elegant beauty.

The other name to which I would draw attention is Ashley Keller, the Canadian artist. Sadly, it seems that she has left bonsai pots behind to produce custom ceramic tiles. I have a couple of little 3” accent pots from her that are just breathtaking. Lucky I got them before she moved on.

Funny thing, I seem to have a lot of his pots also..........

 

[Josh88]

I am all of two weeks deep in my ceramics adventure, and this is the direction I am headed in. Looking to start with unglazed hand built pots to hone some skills and craftsmanship over time. Reading up on mixing my own glazes, but I want to get to the point where I’m making decent quality pots before I start covering them up. There is nothing quick and easy about this process and you certainly gain a great respect for the amount of work that goes into ceramics by trying it yourself. So far nothing has been fired but I’ve built about ten pots using coil and slab techniques. Here are the two I made yesterday that are slowly drying out.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Chuck Iker makes companion sets, too, a big one and a mame to match. Nice pots! Linda Ippel makes nice tan colored pots with interesting glazing...



Mark Hanner, too...


Lois Vorath, now passed, but her pots live on...

And I even have a genuine Chinese antique...

Probably 100's of years old!

 

[bwaynef]

I just checked out Chuck Iker's website and he lists one (non-primitive) pot that isn't round. That's indicative of the problem I'm pointing out with this thread.

 

[sorce]

one (non-primitive) pot that isn't round

I believe that one is labeled primitive as well.

Still Love Chuck!

Sorce

 

[W3rk]

My very favorite pot.View attachment 343381

I agree. I've probably commented on this before, but while I like the glaze on this, it has great texture and movement, I really like the form. I have samples of it in a notebook with pottery designs and had intended to try to replicate it.

 

[Owen Reich]

This is more along my lines of traditional.

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Thought it might help put the "melt" back in "melted" for @Owen Reich , BTW @Bonsai Nut I see the already completed Teleperion Relief on the Banner, and Owen hasn't reached his goal yet. Sorry to jam it in here.

View attachment 350917View attachment 350918View attachment 350919

And just for something easier to pair.

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Sorce

That rectangle is sweet!