Unglazed pots with oxide coloring

Virginia Creeper in fall colour.

Japanese maple in autumn

Fresh Pots

Pots fresh from the wheel are drying slowly as cool autumn weather begins.  When they're dry I'll be glazing some of them, staining others and then firing them all.  No bisque firing, just once up to around 2250 degrees F.(cone 6).

Bonsai bench for a client

A slab of cedar makes a fine bench for a friend's bonsai collection. 

Magazine cover photo opens my eyes!

I always thought that Japanese sumi drawings were stylized!  Oops

Porcelain

Porcelain

HOME MADE SLAB ROLLER

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I found a video on Youtube of a slab roller - here's my version of it - it works really well for making an even thickness slab quickly!




Here's the link from New Earth Clay Pottery:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOCoivzq_pg

An accent plant

Beautiful materials

Porcelain pot for mame bonsai

Mame bonsai are the smallest of bonsai, some ridiculously small.  This is a larger pot at  4 1/2" x 1 3/8".

New pots from the firing

The next day.

 The top layer of yesterday's firing. 

Into the fire

Just turned on the kiln for a firing. Here's a last look before I closed the lid.
I'll open it at noon tomorrow and see what happens in the fire. The bottom
one isn't a bonsai pot.  It lacks the drain hole and wire holes you
need for a bonsai. If I remember to take a picture as I unload the kiln I'll post it.

This is my back garden studio- pretty tiny! I built it a few summers ago. Working in it requires the same kind of discipline as living in a small boat; returning tools to their proper places after each use, no accumulations of possibly useful stuff lying around on work surfaces. Really I could use a barn.

Getting Started

The purpose of this blog is to share my interest in bonsai pots and bonsai.  Over the past couple of years I've been learning about pottery, teaching myself to throw pots on a wheel, glazing, how to fire a kiln and how this all applies to bonsai pots.  I haven't found a lot of sources that apply specifically to bonsai pots, but some good advice from experienced potters has been a great help. I'm going to be posting pictures of my pots over the next while as soon as I sort out the issues involved in making presentable photographs!