A few Bellota pots

[pJkatich]

Here are a few pots that came out of last weeks firing.

P-008-11

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P-009-11

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306-047-11

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[ronlang]

Hello Paul
Now that I have taken the leap into this Pots and Containers forum myself, I just want to say how much I enjoy your work and hope that you will continue to share it here on the ABS forum. I am curious about your background and where you studied ceramics. I am always intrigued how folks involved in ceramics find there way into this bonsai niche . Was it clay first, then bonsai? Care to share? Your forms are clean and simple and well made. That's sophistication. Your glazes are so well chosen for this venue. I find that it is so easy for someone with your skills to put too much "ego" into a pot. See what I can do! It is far more difficult to show restraint and the respect for the tree that you pots do!
Best,
Ron Lang

[pJkatich]

Hello Paul
Now that I have taken the leap into this Pots and Containers forum myself, I just want to say how much I enjoy your work and hope that you will continue to share it here on the ABS forum. I am curious about your background and where you studied ceramics. I am always intrigued how folks involved in ceramics find there way into this bonsai niche . Was it clay first, then bonsai? Care to share? Your forms are clean and simple and well made. That's sophistication. Your glazes are so well chosen for this venue. I find that it is so easy for someone with your skills to put too much "ego" into a pot. See what I can do! It is far more difficult to show restraint and the respect for the tree that you pots do!
Best,
Ron Lang

Thank you for the kind words Ron, I appreciate your compliments very much.

In regards to my ceramics background, I am mostly self taught as far as bonsai containers are concerned. My first adventures with clay started 6 years ago when I signed up for a wheel throwing class at the local community college. From there, my ceramic work has progressed to what you see posted here. I have no other formal training in ceramics or art. My formal training is in mechanical systems, mainly HVAC and energy management in particular.

I have been growing bonsai for 20+ years and have grown most of my trees from scratch. As my trees developed and matured so did the images in my head of what would be the appropriate pot to complete each composition. Unfortunately, I could not find the pots that I had envisioned. As a result, I have learned to make them for myself. What you see here are some of the forms, colors, and textures that I envisioned for my own trees.

Cheers,
Paul

[pJkatich]

Here are a few from the last firing.

Any thoughts on the finishes?

PX-040-11

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PX-050-11

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306-037-11

306-037-11.jpg (86.98 KiB) Viewed 1194 times

Regards,
Paul

[ronlang]

Hey, I'll say it again Paul. I think your choice of glazes is most appropriate for bonsai. Earthy, warm with a nice low sheen, they will complement trees beautifully. The other quality is the nice variation of color, warms with cool that you get from the glaze as it overlaps itself or pools in thicker areas or pulls away from edges and is thinner. The first two are my favorites with the glaze and form really working well together. Have you experimented with using these two glazes together by double dipping, over-pouring or spraying?
Best,
Ron

[pJkatich]

Hey, I'll say it again Paul. I think your choice of glazes is most appropriate for bonsai. Earthy, warm with a nice low sheen, they will complement trees beautifully. The other quality is the nice variation of color, warms with cool that you get from the glaze as it overlaps itself or pools in thicker areas or pulls away from edges and is thinner. The first two are my favorites with the glaze and form really working well together. Have you experimented with using these two glazes together by double dipping, over-pouring or spraying?
Best,
Ron

I appreciate you sharing your thoughts Ron.

No, I have not yet experimented with mixing the two glazes you commented on. Both are new finishes for me and these two pots represent some of the initial tests using them on pots.

Thanks for the feedback.

Cheers,
Paul

[ronlang]

Yeah, understand I didn't mean actually mixing the two together. But you can get some really nice effects by applying one over the other sometimes. And different also depending which is under and which over. You probably know this, so sorry, but I didn't want there to be a misunderstanding . I have actually never tried to mix two glazes together and apply. Huh, who knows could be interesting!?
Ron

[pJkatich]

Yeah, understand I didn't mean actually mixing the two together. But you can get some really nice effects by applying one over the other sometimes. And different also depending which is under and which over. You probably know this, so sorry, but I didn't want there to be a misunderstanding . I have actually never tried to mix two glazes together and apply. Huh, who knows could be interesting!?
Ron

Thanks for the clarification Ron.

I understood what you were talking about.

"Mixing the glazes" was just a poor choice of words on my part.

As you pointed out, layering different glazes can produce some interesting results.

So can mixing them together before application. I have done this on several occasions and was very pleased with some of the results.

Regards,
Paul

[ED TROUT]

Very nice pots Paul. And I have enjoyed your & Ron's discussions...sometimes we forget how much work, artistry, and chemistry goes into creating good pots.

Ed

[pJkatich]

Very nice pots Paul. And I have enjoyed your & Ron's discussions...sometimes we forget how much work, artistry, and chemistry goes into creating good pots. Ed

Hello Ed,

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Your compliment is appreciated very much.

Indeed, having Ron as a member and contributor here on this forum is great. I have always admired his work and I look forward to having many more discussions with him in the future.

Regards,
Paul