American-made ceramics forms

[Carol 83]

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.

That is actually how I ended up with the pot. @sorce posted some other pot and this one was in the background unglazed. I commented on how I really liked the shape and got first dibs on it. Maybe that's why it ended up being purple.

 

[Pitoon]

@W3rk have you made any recent pots? Not sure about you, but I enjoy just looking at pots......glazes, design, etc.

 

[sorce]

Porcelain.



Mmmmmm.

Sorce

 

[Pitoon]

@sorce good job on those porcelain pieces! Do you fire the porcelain separate from the other pieces? Cone 10 or higher?

 

[sorce]

Cone 10 or higher?

I finally tested one of these vitreous @cone 8, so they will compromise my cone 9-10+ top shelves in the big kiln.

Thinking about doing a full porcelain kiln so I can start Reduction earlier than I can with the Iron Bodies, but just to mess, so that probably won't happen soon!

#copperred

 

[Pitoon]

I finally tested one of these vitreous @cone 8, so they will compromise my cone 9-10+ top shelves in the big kiln.

That's what I was wondering if the clay and porcelain mature at different temps.

The ceramic shop I go to in Baltimore has K26 fire bricks in stock. So I've been slowly designing a mini gas kiln. It's a lot harder than I thought trying to get the measurements right.

 

[sorce]

Baltimore

Within 50 miles of.....

Perfect for the lil ones.



Better for more.


Sorce

 

[W3rk]

@W3rk have you made any recent pots? Not sure about you, but I enjoy just looking at pots......glazes, design, etc.

Hey Pitoon. I made my last pot almost a year ago. I was taking my second pottery class last spring when the campus was shut down due to covid. I was really looking forward to making more pots and especially experimenting with glazes and just learning more in general. I've got like 6-8 bisque fired that didn't make it in for glaze firing.

Once we get a better handle on covid and things normalize I'm hoping to take a class over at the District Clay Center.

And again, your small pots are really incredible.

 

[Pitoon]

Once we get a better handle on covid and things normalize I'm hoping to take a class over at the District Clay Center.

I just took a look at the DCC website and they have a 'Clay from Home' program. You buy 25lbs of clay for $75 and get access to their kiln and glazes. The catch is you must use their clay and their glazes. They could also reject pieces that are not dry enough or have to much glaze. Granted I could get 50lbs of the same clay they are selling for $32. I might join the program just to get access to their kiln. I can only imagine walking in there with 200-300 mame/shohin sized pots and seeing their faces.

 

[mwar15]

I just took a look at the DCC website and they have a 'Clay from Home' program. You buy 25lbs of clay for $75 and get access to their kiln and glazes. The catch is you must use their clay and their glazes. They could also reject pieces that are not dry enough or have to much glaze. Granted I could get 50lbs of the same clay they are selling for $32. I might join the program just to get access to their kiln. I can only imagine walking in there with 200-300 mame/shohin sized pots and seeing their faces.

I go to a pottery co-op and you have to pay per visit and buy clay from them. You can only use the clay you buy at the co-op( marked up)But you get supplies, tools, kilns and glaze for that

 

[sorce]

porcelain mature

This is Cone 10 Porcelain... hopefully @Carol 83 shows us some Cone 6 Porcelain when she gets to the Post Office!

Testing this marbled with stained same. Some glaze tests. This red is from Amaco's PC-48 Art Deco Green in Reduction at Cone 9/10.



Sorce

 

[Carol 83]

This is Cone 10 Porcelain... hopefully @Carol 83 shows us some Cone 6 Porcelain when she gets to the Post Office!

Testing this marbled with stained same. Some glaze tests. This red is from Amaco's PC-48 Art Deco Green in Reduction at Cone 9/10.

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Sorce

Just picked up the box, haven't opened it up yet. Gotta' go to the grocery store first. And wait until my husband is busy doing something.

 

[mwar15]

This is Cone 10 Porcelain... hopefully @Carol 83 shows us some Cone 6 Porcelain when she gets to the Post Office!

Testing this marbled with stained same. Some glaze tests. This red is from Amaco's PC-48 Art Deco Green in Reduction at Cone 9/10.

View attachment 351649View attachment 351650View attachment 351651

Sorce

Looks like it flows a little...

 

[sorce]

Looks like it flows a little...

The Ash Glazes do but that "cone 6" glaze stays put.

Sorce

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

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.

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And just for something easier to pair.

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Sorce

Love this blue one... Its got- feeling.

 

[Waldo Street Pottery]

A couple of new pieces born yesterday...

 

[Carol 83]

This is Cone 10 Porcelain... hopefully @Carol 83 shows us some Cone 6 Porcelain when she gets to the Post Office!

Testing this marbled with stained same. Some glaze tests. This red is from Amaco's PC-48 Art Deco Green in Reduction at Cone 9/10.

View attachment 351649View attachment 351650View attachment 351651

Sorce

It's really lovely, thank you so much.

 

[bwaynef]

Part of the recent Bonsai in Conversation podcast w/ Bjorn leads me to believe that Bjorn has some leanings toward the sentiment I was trying to express when I started this thread. No quotes. Listen for yourself.

 

[thams]

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!)

I'm not sure I 100% agree with this. I think that rectangles DO sell better than rounds in general. BUT, most rectangles sold on the bonsai auction pages by clay hobbyists frankly aren't up to snuff compared to most mold-made Japanese stuff. As a result, the rectangles are overpriced for what they are despite the time it took to create it. This isn't meant as a dig toward US potter rectangles. The nature of making slab-made pots is that it takes enormous patience and skill to perfect. Most folks selling pottery want income NOW, so wheel thrown rounds tend to make up the majority of what's being sold. I think only those obsessed with perfection end up producing top-tier slab built pots that command a price worth the effort to produce them.

That being said, my opinion (however useless it might be) is that we NEED more quality slab built pots being made here in the US. There are already some very talented potters producing superior oval and rectangle pots, we just need to find and support them. There's absolutely nothing wrong with round bonsai pots. I own some fantastic Gremel and Lenz rounds that I will never sell. But in almost every conversation I've had with folks about US bonsai pottery, there's always some mention that we need more potters producing better ovals and rectangles. I'm looking forward to seeing more US pots show up in local and national shows, but the only way that will happen is to up the standards.

 

[thams]

A couple of new pieces born yesterday...

Eli, it's literally a moral sin that I haven't visited your studio since being back in the ATL. I'm planning to start covering US potters in a lot more depth on the website very soon. I'm wondering if you'd be down for a little visit and interview sometime soon - perhaps when your new space is up and running? I would love to snap some pictures and have a chat over a beer or something. I'll pm you soon to coordinate if you're cool with the idea.