Favorite American potter?

JoshuaRN

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Recently started switching my collection over to American potters and really starting to appreciate the craftsmanship and character that goes into them , not bashing Japanese and Chinese pots (eu has some real innovation as well but different post maybe)
Interested in who you guys favor?
Who’s on the immediately but if seen list?
I have a few pine garden(max) but my favorite right now is sam Miller. I’m a sucker for raku style pots or namaki(o?) glaze.
Any recommendations?
Personal favourites?
Rare finds?
 

rockm

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Start here:
http://americanbonsaiceramics.com/
Some are more well-known than others. Some are vastly better than others. A lot of deciding who the "best" is involves actually handling their work. Can't judge from photos. Some are better esthetics like glazes, but not so hot at construction. Others are better at construction, but can't get a glaze together. A rare few have found the balance and make extraordinary work--hint--they tend to have been doing BONSAI pottery for more than 10 years...
 

Leo in N E Illinois

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A potter to collect whenever you see her work come up is Karen Schuman, out of the kiln at Oakton Community College, Oakton IL. Some of the finest high temperature fired pottery I have handled. The feel of her pottery, with smooth burnished unglazed pots is just fabulous. Very thin, even smooth walls on wheel thrown pots. Collect her now as she has retired. I don't think she fired any pots in 2018. Her output was never large, not all of it was bonsai pots. So if you see her work, feel it, you will buy if you actually handle her pots. She mostly made pots for medium to smaller trees. Some of us local Chicago bonsai folk are trying to talk her into continuing to make pots, I don't know if she will or not. Snap them up when you see them.

The list on American Bonsai Ceramics is pretty complete.

I like John Menzel, he is relatively new, only recently began selling bonsai pots. He has been a decorative goods potter for 10+ years, bonsai pots for maybe 4 or 5 years. You might find his pots at Hidden Gardens. Eventually he will have an internet site.

Ching-wen Cheng, out of California, Sam Miller, Dan Laxdal, Brian Soldano, all are potters I love, and for slab built rectangles you need to look at our BNut stalward, Sorce. Also BNutter Stickroot and ???? I'm blanking a name here, damn, I'm getting ''sometimers'', as in sometimes I can't remember shit. Anyway, I really enjoy collecting pots from American potters. Usually I buy a pot on impulse. Later I will try to find or grow a tree to fit the pot. Rarely do I look for a pot for a specific tree. I do look for pots in the sizes I most commonly use. So I tend to buy pots for medium to larger size of shohin and Kifu, and only a few large enough for larger sizes.
 

LanceMac10

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Here's a Sarah Rayner that was nice that I got for $150 or so, she's pretty good.

DSC00555.JPG

3:30 am slip-pot when I discovered it shattered on the ground......not the pot's fault!:D:D:D:D:D:D:D
 

CasAH

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A potter to collect whenever you see her work come up is Karen Schuman, out of the kiln at Oakton Community College, Oakton IL. Some of the finest high temperature fired pottery I have handled. The feel of her pottery, with smooth burnished unglazed pots is just fabulous. Very thin, even smooth walls on wheel thrown pots. Collect her now as she has retired. I don't think she fired any pots in 2018. Her output was never large, not all of it was bonsai pots. So if you see her work, feel it, you will buy if you actually handle her pots. She mostly made pots for medium to smaller trees. Some of us local Chicago bonsai folk are trying to talk her into continuing to make pots, I don't know if she will or not. Snap them up when you see them.

The list on American Bonsai Ceramics is pretty complete.

I like John Menzel, he is relatively new, only recently began selling bonsai pots. He has been a decorative goods potter for 10+ years, bonsai pots for maybe 4 or 5 years. You might find his pots at Hidden Gardens. Eventually he will have an internet site.

Ching-wen Cheng, out of California, Sam Miller, Dan Laxdal, Brian Soldano, all are potters I love, and for slab built rectangles you need to look at our BNut stalward, Sorce. Also BNutter Stickroot and ???? I'm blanking a name here, damn, I'm getting ''sometimers'', as in sometimes I can't remember shit. Anyway, I really enjoy collecting pots from American potters. Usually I buy a pot on impulse. Later I will try to find or grow a tree to fit the pot. Rarely do I look for a pot for a specific tree. I do look for pots in the sizes I most commonly use. So I tend to buy pots for medium to larger size of shohin and Kifu, and only a few large enough for larger sizes.

I got a Karen Schuman for cheap at a Midwest Bonsai Socity meeting.

Your description is right on, I love the feel of the pot. My wife who is not into Bonsai keeps on taking it for a candy dish she likes it so much.
 

JoshuaRN

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lol, the candy dish situation i am familiar with (a traditional Chinese cascade exhibition pot was on my island with lilies in it all holiday) . I have far more pots than i have trees. If were among safe company ill admit that my training pots and modified nursery pots get a hell of a lot more use than any of my actual pots. I just really appreciate a pot that has a unique quality that you find appealing... for example i have 1 cascade bonsai.... i have 7 cascade pots...
 

crust

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Rayner pots are amazingly durable-- she puts out a lot of work with some very fine larger ovals. Lenz pots are great proportionally but alas he is done and they are getting less available. Lang pots are always strong with perfect shapes. Local potters can be commisioned but be emphatic on shape proportion and weatherproofness and strength characteristics
 

JoshuaRN

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interesting, i was cutting blue stone for a walkway this summer and thought about something like that. If im breaking out the grinder and eye pro though id probably just try to carve out a large belgard block (might mess with soil ph though). Blue stone and shale are fragile and painful to cut so i tip my hat to him for those precise angles.
Recently i started using my ceramic hole bits to commit art pottery crime and covert some cheap studio pottery finds into usable pots, had a lot of fun with creative ways to alter them without ruining aesthetics. By no means even slightly an original idea and im sure there is a reason it will eventually bite me in the ass as far as tree health, but its been a lot of fun lol (and cheap once you own the ceramic bits).
 

JoshuaRN

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By no means the same feel and beauty of a quality pot but Here’s a couple examples , not the cleanest but I was still working on my how to prevent chipping when drilling technique(tips welcome)
DB07A5C0-4338-4672-8DF2-AF9983795E39.jpeg776EEFD1-52A0-4E41-A96A-581D5972E72C.jpeg2A09C7F0-3C13-4327-A9D9-E60A0CCDCCD6.jpeg17308A3D-4E05-49A2-B5F4-FAF953209BC2.jpeg4085285D-5735-4BE4-867E-A2BCBF7266D2.jpegC3E9C30E-042F-4E1A-9623-1BC790FFB69F.jpeg669EFE6B-974F-4A25-BF8C-D1DAB46BBC45.jpeg 671695F5-11B0-4511-8232-65511629DEF3.jpegA119ACC1-59BC-4176-A6D7-9691FE7B004A.jpeg
 

Underdog

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I just got one from Lynn August and feel the quality. I also have a Chen-Wen I love. No expert at all but can feel a good pot.
 

Underdog

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Yea, that's what I hear but I've been on that list for a while now... he make them out of UnObtainum Just kidding Sorce.
 

amcoffeegirl

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Did anyone mention Sonny Boggs yet?
Chuck Iker? Fletcher Kaufman? Jim Barrett?
What size pots are you looking for?

Nvm- just saw @rockm link. Nice list.
 
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Carol 83

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I don't buy pots because I think they will be valuable, or because someone famous made them. I just buy what I like. I'm a big Iker fan, and I got a really nice pot at the bonsai show this past spring from Linda Ippel (sp?). Leo guided me towards her stand. Very nice detailing. But probably my favorites are from @sorce and @Soldano666 .
 
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