Wedding bonsai

Sekibonsai

Shohin
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Honorable son #1 got hitched 2 weeks ago. I was asked about a year ago if I would make the centerpieces- bonsai- Eventually we settled on boxwood and I purchased about 22 3 gallon trees from a local nursery that had some potential- heavier trunks, some good movement... Realizing I wasn't going to be able to make "real bonsai" in a year, I carefully reduced the rootballs by about 1/2 and cleaned out the structure to a "tree-like form", with our southern live oaks as inspiration. By that I mean there were things that normally might be taken off but in this case I had to keep enough to pull off the mallsai imagery. Wire and tie-downs were applied. They then received a growing season of careful feeding and thinning to develop some very basic forms.

The pots I ended up having to use (per the bride and the wedding planner) were nothing bonsai-like. I didn't have much faith in the outcome but hey, there wouldn't be a person who knew what they were looking at. Thanks to Covid restrictions we went form a guest list of 200+ down to about 50 so I only had to put together 8 at the end.

I only got the one picture but the guests were fighting to take one home. Once they were out they didn't look too damn bad.

Then on to the REALLY fun part... "the favors"...
 

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Sekibonsai

Shohin
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My son then asked about doing the favors... he wanted something that wouldn't be something that would get thrown away... "...like those serissa in the front bed... can you get those as a small plant? They can be bonsai or planted!" Okay, sure... but he didn't want to order them till a few weeks out and all my supplier had were liner stock in sheets (which was fine because he wanted something small) but that left the need for pots.

Didn't find anything suitable in the stores or on line so the Monday night before I think, "I'm a potter, I can whip out 60+ pots"... except I don't do wheel work.... :D:D:D:D I figure a yunomi (tea bowl) inspired training pot would be about the right size and have a hint of "bonsai" to it. I rough out a template and start making slabs. My son has not grown to appreciate the concept of "wabi-sabi" yet so I wasn't sure how he was going to like a rustic style that these would have... but off I go. from about 9 pm till the next morning I'm whipping these suckers out.
 

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Sekibonsai

Shohin
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I grab 3 hours of sleep and when I get up they are approaching leather hard already so I set to cleaning them up. At this point most are too dry to attach feet- which would have been a lot of work anyway- also I had thought of putting a medallion with our house seal on it but that too went because of simplicity... I trim and even them out... I decide to carve their names into the bottom and the year.

They are not going to be dry in time so as I finish the detail work I put them in my oven ( a supposed no-no) I get them loaded Tuesday evening and bisque fire them overnight.

I forgot to mention my mother in law was staying with us and this whole time I am binge watching Supernatural so any time she walks through the Great Room I'm there like a caffeine addled maniac "Hi Mom!" including 3 or 4 am...
 

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Sekibonsai

Shohin
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So Thursday wee hours were good for a few hour long jaunts between kiln controller adjustments and then a good 2 hour stretch. Up, crash cool the kiln and unload. Scrub all the bisque ware, dry it in the sun and wipe glaze into the bottom carving and wipe back. That night was rehearsal dinner... no problem. Not get lit up and we'll glaze and have the final kiln run over night...

Hahahahaahhahahahaahhaa.... so its 3 am. I'm still glazing. I'm already tempted to scrub the glaze off the pots and go with the bisque ware as the final pots. wipe some arylic paint in the carving instead.... No dammit GOD is gonna make this happen. Must. Keep. Glazing. I select the ones with the most interesting texture to keep unglazed.

So I start loading the kiln. It starts raining. Then it is pouring... (kiln is outside)... I also realize that there is no way I am going to get all this into a single load. F..... udge. Only that wasn't the word I used. Said a quick prayer which was answered with "load the bottom dummy"... so I sprinkle all the shelves with lumina in case there is runs and repack the kiln once the storm passes.

While I wait the rain out I am slapping glaze on the pots. empty spot, stick the brush in an open jar slap it on. few splashes of a "mover glaze"... I originally planned on sedate colorful glaze work since these were "straights"... doubted anyone had an appreciation for Japanese tea ware so we are chasing a mallsai theme once again.

I failed to mention that I mix all my own glazes. Always have. So that is part of all this and took a bit of time.

So despite this "plan" while I can tell you what glazes were on the table I have no idea how I got the results I did...
 

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Sekibonsai

Shohin
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So Friday 6am I finally have the kiln loaded and on... I am flipping switches to increase the heat in the kiln as fast as I dare. Finally they are all on and i catch 2 hours of sleep. I get up to check the pyrometer and calculate the heat rise. This sucker will not be done until 3 at least and the wedding is at 5. So I decide to hit the craft store to see what they have as a back up since I'm thinking I might have to shut down early and for all I know I'll have a bunch of frog puke green pots.

I go grab me a new suit shirt and 70 little terra cotta pots. I get back to the farm at about noon and the kiln has already tripped. Must have sped up. I crack the lid and stick a kiln post in it, ignoring the cracking and sizzling. (another no-no) And yes it starts to rain again. I let the temp drop to about 1200 on the pyrometer and stick another post in. Down another 300 and a third post. I realize I was reading in C and it is still far too hot. I say screw it and open the lid.

They are no longer glowing so I figure its no worse than raku now. I try grabbing one with welding gloves which I promptly drop on the ground... my gloves are smoldering and the wet ground is sizzling. But it looks F'ing cool.

Encouraged, I grab some tongs and start taking them out. (its about 900 F right now) I manage to work my way down through the shelves. I tried setting them on a board which of course started that smoldering... meanwhile "mom" is asking me how the heck I'm going to get them planted in the next two hours...

I let them cool a bit more and then figure out that dropping them in a bucket of cold water will finish the cool. (3rd or 4th no-no but whose counting at this point)

Not anything like I intended. Not a plain Jane in the batch. Never to be reproduced.

I had so many extras the catering staff and photography crew were taking them home...
 

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I already had the soil sifted so planting was pretty easy. Yes. Made it to the church on time. Brought a few home to eventually share with the Covid bound guests who couldn't make it.
 

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Potawatomi13

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You went WAAAY past the extra mile. Personally always a believer in SIMPLE planning, SIMPLE arrangements, LOW cost for any wedding personal money or time involved in. Funny story but no envy here.
 

Tidal Bonsai

Omono
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Awesome!!! I made around 120 bottles of homemade wine for favors. After people took them home, we took the leftovers and open them on anniversaries. After 7 years of marriage, we only have one bottle left 😢 It would be cool to see whose tree makes it the distance 😂
 

Carol 83

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What a great story! So much better than the typical crappy favors at weddings.
 

Sekibonsai

Shohin
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Wonderful! I bet this was all a plot to keep you occupied and out of the way. A bottle of scotch would suffice to keep me occupied and out of the way.
Oh hellz no. My wife is still pissed. Probably drove my MIL up the wall- not that that part is bad :D... I was so wiped I drank two beers at the reception and still wouldn't drive home because I was worried I'd doze off.
 
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