Taiko-Earth Pottery

Pots for a gentlemen...

2012-01-20T20:27:00.000-05:00

As a bonsai potter, making commissioned pieces for customers can be a challenging, yet rewarding way to stay afloat between shows. I thought I would share a few lines here in the blogosphere of my experience with this last custom order of pots...

The client chose a couple of designs from my web page and added unique dimensions to fit his trees. The first pot is an oval of medium width with rope feet and trim. The second is a hard edged design with similar width and depth in its interior.

Here are some shots of me working on some of the different stages of construction...

wedging the clay to prepare for throwing

centering and opening up to form the walls on the oval

cutting slabs for the rectangle

Well, here is how the pots turned out. I was quite pleased with the subtle character of each piece. By now they are enjoying their new digs up in the northeast, probably awaiting a bit of spring fever!

The hard edged rectangle was styled from one of the pieces still on my website. It was constructed entirely from slabs.

Both pots have the same glaze; one that features a lot of visual interest when fired in a reduced atmosphere in my kiln.

The client told me he was very pleased with his latest shipment and I am glad my pots have found a happy home!

Waves of Expression?

2012-01-10T21:54:00.001-05:00

I absolutely LOVE learning and developing new techniques. This last month I have been doing some experimenting on a new method that I find rather addicting. It creates lines and patterns and gives great highlight to form and provides areas for holding glaze. I tried it on several pots, simple accents, kusamono and some bonsai containers in glazed and unglazed pieces.

Here is another example in a smallish round, well suited for kusamono....

I would like to developing this style a bit more, especially for kusamono forms. For a bonsai pot, I tried some unglazed forms, like this one best suited for a rugged pine.

Time will tell if the bonsai crowd enjoys this particular surface treatment, but in the meantime, at least I can have some fun, keepin' it fresh!

Cheers!

December's Chill

2011-12-14T20:59:00.002-05:00

I never like having to wait to fire pots. When your pieces are ready, and you have enough to fill your kiln, it is too hard to wait! I mean, for me, one of the most satisfying aspects to being a potter is getting to see them finished.

This month is, as usual, the busiest time of the year. Several important things kept me busy with school, and, well, the pots couldn't get fired. When I do a firing, it takes a full 24 hours including candling, firing, and a back firing slow cool, so, I guess it just kept being put off.

Anyway, here are some from the group of 34 that I chose to share....

Here is a shohin sized oval in a shimmering green glaze-

This primitive style pot below could be used for kusamono, (in Japanese this means 'grass thing' I actually made a smaller one too, in the same style..

This medium sized oval below has very subtle glaze that is very sensitive to temperature and atmosphere. Even the slightest amount of reduction gives the copper a pinkish cast. The crystals come out in the firing down slow cool...

This last pot uses a thin application of a glaze that promotes blue crystals from copper. I put in some throwing rings to hold the glaze and highlight some texture...

and oh the firing...

For my potheads...

I had a bit of a time evening out the top and bottom of the kiln. The bottom was at least a full cone's cooler than the top. Usually, when I fire in reduction, I just close up the top damper, with my eye on my oxyprobe, to put in a little more heat down lower in the kiln. That worked o.k. for a while, but it was complicated because I still wanted to keep a somewhat oxidizing atmosphere throughout the firing. I opened up the bottom peeps and that helped too, but by the time the cool down started the top was already ^8 at 3:00 (my end target). So, when I tried a final soak with the top port slightly covered (oxyprobe reading .02-.03) there was not enough wiggle room in temps to allow the bottom ^8 to fall.

I suppose I could have stayed up longer to find the sweet spot which would have allowed the bottom to come up, but it was getting quite late, and I wanted to start the slow cool.

Well thanks for taking time for let me ramble. I am just glad to finally get this load done and fired so I can have them ready for the KAWA Joy of Bonsai convention next month. Come and see me!

Now, does anyone wish to place bets on how long it will take me to get this load priced and updated on my website?

Beauty and the Beast

2011-10-06T15:18:00.001-04:00

September came and went and between keeping up with my teaching job and my priorities of family and fatherhood, I somehow managed to put together a large load of pots and fire them this past weekend. Besides producing 24 bonsai containers, I also tested some 30 or so glazes and measured, recorded and fired them for specific gravity. For those non-potter folk, specific gravity is a measurement ratio of water in a glaze, and its solid components. For kicks I decided to test my new cone 9 and 10 glazes in this firing of a hard cone 7. I knew that most of these from the test batch were not going to end up on my pots at the lowered temperature, but I wanted to see how they turned out. Believe it or not, one of the glazes actually looks better at the lower temp.

The pot below is glazed with Varigated Slate Blue, fired to a hard cone 7, with 8 at the 3 o'clock position. Cooled VERY SLOWLY, it provides a lovely, satiny finish that in my opinion, serves the form well...

I also experimented with some expressionistic elements. Being a fan of abstract expressionist painting and sculpture, I started to look for inspiration. In ceramics I looked up some of the works by Paul Soldner, Peter Volkous, and Don Reitz. These guys are well known for being true champions of experimentation and improvisation. In this pot you can see some playfulness.

Oh, I know it may be a stretch for some to see a tree in this pot, but it is still one of my latest favs...

Who knows, perhaps it will one day hold a literati style pine with great gnarly texture to match?

I enjoy both of these different styles, and in fact I really enjoy both of them together. Perhaps I should do some more work developing both opposite styles.

Any comments?

A Glaze to Call My Own?

2011-08-18T21:41:00.003-04:00

Here is an ash glaze that I made creating by combining Oak ash and a high iron clay. On this particular clay it gives a nice yellow color. I enjoy the rivulets from the glaze and the pooling effect, a common feature in many glazes of this particular type.

The recipe is a high fire glaze. I originally tested it at cone 10, and worked well so I mixed up a large batch and used it on these few pots. The firing went well, but by accident, the pots were fired much higher than I was shooting for. Apparently when I was trying to even out the temperature at the peak of firing, I overestimated the amount of time that it would take, and the kiln went well past cone 11. I ended up loosing 6 other pots to the kiln gods. They had over fluxed and the glaze, not this one, ended up fusing to my kiln shelf. I had to get the ol' hammer out....%#$@(^&%$!!!!!

Surprisingly, this glaze held up, even in the higher temperature. Here is another example with it on a small oval pot...

Oh well, at least I know now that this glaze has potential to take the heat!!!

A Crescent for KAWA

2011-06-30T17:38:00.001-04:00

We got first place, we got first place...right?!? NOT!

Here is a beautiful Juniper, hand picked by Mike Rogers, in my one of a kind, commissioned crescent pot. I made this after four other attempts, to get it just the right size, right balance, color, and shape. We used it for the Club Night competition this past month at the Bonsai Society of Florida's state convention in Orlando.

A fun, frenzied time was had by all. Amist a blur of dirt, wiring, placement and patience we worked to finish the project, even finishing with time to spare...

...but first place was awarded to the Brevard Club.

Here are the Boys of Brevard working diligently to bring order to chaos designing their impressive Ficus Salicifolia/Nerifolia forest on a slab. It was a real stunner.

They are a powerhouse, yes its true...

but look at the concentration in this trio!

Our BSF Convention headliner and judge, Ryan Neil, did a fantastic job with everything at the convention. He really liked our composition and even had a few nice things to say about the pot.

Club members Diane, Mike, Jane, Mike and Louise should be proud of second place. They were a great team!

....and there is always next year...AGAIN!!!

Thanks to Gerry Devane for providing photos-

In the Pursuit of Subtlety

2011-06-21T15:14:00.000-04:00

Trees with an aged character can benefit from a pot that has gentle undulations of color or textured elements. Conversely, a pot with bold or brash angles and glazes works to suit a younger, more boldly styled tree. In my last round of pots I have been developing the use of glazes that are better fitting to older trees. Here are a few examples.

The use of sprinkled ash from my fire pit brought out some nice blueish hues to this pot. It is still somewhat monochromatic, again better suited to an older tree...

I would say that the depth of such a container makes it more masculine and perhaps others in the realm of bonsai would agree. By contrast, the pot at the top of the page, with its convex profile and graceful rim, promotes a graceful composition.

There is quite a bit of interplay of blues and blueish green hues in this container. It would be well suited to a bougainvillea, azalea, or anything with a red magenta flower, among others.

The back side reveals a bit of pitting from an interaction of sprinkled ash with the flame path in my kiln...

Although I am not really sure which side I like better I do know one thing: an effective bonsai artist would choose the side based on the needs of their composition. To display bonsai for exhibition the whole composition (tree, pot, accent, and movement) should be taken into account. For example, if more visual weight is needed to pull the eyes down, then I would choose the front from the last photo. The eye becomes attracted to the surface quality more than the other side of the pot.

Subtlety is something that can really be developed in bonsai, given the appropriate subject (tree) and the bonsai artist's desire to communicate it.

I welcome any comments or questions. Thanks for reading!

National Bonsai and Penjing Exhibition

2011-06-18T19:32:00.000-04:00

This past May at the National Arboretum in Washington D.C. was the PBA Regional Bonsai and Penjing exhibition and I am very humbled to have been able to make a pot for one of the participants in the show. The show was the creation of the Potomac Bonsai Association which represents a number of bonsai and related clubs of the greater Washington D.C. area.

Here are just a few of the photos from that event that showcased the talent of the exhibition.

From what I can tell here there was much thought given to the placement of each subject. In bonsai and penjing the negative space between each of the elements being presented is of great importance. I would have loved to have seen it in person...

This was a juried show done by the very esteemed American bonsai master Chase Rosade.

Here is the winner of the competition,a beautiful white pine. I really love the tension that is created by the proportion and placement of that lower branch. Quite lovely!

I hope someday to see this exhibition in person. There were many great works in the exhibit and each of them warrant your viewing pleasure.

Here is a maple that I have a personal interest in...

A closer look...

I am quite thrilled when one of my pots is seen in a show with such caliber as this one. What is even more satisfying is knowing that this tree received an honorable mention. I am very humbled to have made the pot for this participant.

Fired test tiles...

2011-06-15T15:40:00.000-04:00

Here are some of the samples that were fired since my last post. Being so far behind in my posting it seems unnecessary to go into too much detail about all of them. I have since been under the gun for my last show and was way too busy to post along the way.

Anyhoo, for your viewing pleasure, here are some of my little soldiers.

The middle tiles are glazed with a fake ash glaze with my own oak ash glaze dripped on the top.

Here are a few pots that I glazed with that recipe...

Fellow potters can email me for the recipe. It works best on white and tan stoneware the in my opinion. These were fired in my gas kiln in reduction from ^6 to ^8 nicely.

Michelle is working this week on adding new material to my website so if you are interested please stay tuned...

Standardized testing

2011-05-29T08:12:00.000-04:00

Selecting good reliable glazes and developing them for use on pots can be quite a task. It takes many trials of different recipes, underlying clay bodies and varying application techniques to get closer to the color and texture being sought. In making these test tiles, I am hoping to not only learn about the color and texture of each new glaze, but also seek to find interesting nuances within the overlay of other glazes on top of one another. Long gone are the days when I would look for a particular color out of a catalog or brochure and buy a pint and apply three brush coats to dry 06 bisque...

For this round of testing I decided to mix up some medium large batches of MC6 glazes in the 4,000 gram size. I also mixed up 12 small 100 gram test batches from other sources. Pancioli and Selsor both have some beautiful reduction glazes that I have long wanted to try. I also tested an engobe recipe with 6 different variations. Three of those six have xircopax plus, an opacifier, while the other three do not. The variants for color that I used were red iron oxide, black iron oxide, and manganese oxide. I would like to see how the engobe reacts with the glaze above it and the clay body below it.

Ash was used both as stand alone recipes and as dust sprinkled over wet glazes. Not to take any chances I washed my shelves thoroughly.

Here is just one page from my notebook, as I identified each tile, glaze used, and the application of each. These notes are the first draft and I will go back to them and see which tiles warrant further testing. If you look by my mask you can see an old tiles that warranted another test. My hope is that all this testing will make me a better potter, if not who at least has more choices when choosing just the right color and texture for a particular bonsai tree or companion planting.

I am hoping these guys are not packed too tightly. Only time will tell....

Finished photos coming soon. Please stay tuned!

Teaching pottery at Central Florida Bonsai Club

2011-04-23T15:49:00.000-04:00

Our hands were busy last month at my CFBC pot making workshop. Participants spent time learning about the characteristics of clay and different forming methods to used to create pots. I must say it was a very fast paced 3 hours, but the amount of learning and productivity that came out of it was certainly worth it. Here Betsy looks on as Rick takes a short cut with his pinch pot...

Some people give a lot of attention to detail. Here Betsy is using a coil to reinforce a joint in her slab built pot. She told me once that she used to make pottery years ago. After watching her work I could tell. Once a potter always a potter?

Here are some more shots of the slab building process. In the second to last photo, Zoo Mike used bark to get an interesting texture on his pot. I am so proud of him!

Paul is very quiet when he works. When you see his pots you will know why. Such concentration!

Well, I am off to wash off the bisqued pots and get them ready for our glazing class next month. All of the pots make it through the bisque with no problems so I am very happy. Overall the class went very smoothy, but I should have taken more pictures to share here. I will try to take more on the 13th when we meet again.

Thanks to all the participants for your patience and support!

A few carefully placed drips...

2011-04-14T21:29:00.000-04:00

Experimenting with glazes and overlaying them can be rewarding, even if the result dosen't always turn out as expected. I like the look of the Spearmint from M^6 Glazes. Here is contrasts with a single dip of Varigated Blue. The body is Brownstone from Highwater fired to a hard ^5. I had to use my small 40+ year old electric Jenkins kiln for this load, as I was in a rush to finish some commissioned pieces and didn't want to spend time filling up the bigger Olympic gas kiln.

Anyhow, I tried some other drips and the results were very different. Here is the same glaze, Spearmint, with a white glaze that I have used before as a highlight, just to give a sense of random interest in the wabi sabi tradition...

Here is the soft corned shohin sized rectantangle.

Because the glaze couldn't slow cool, (it is very hard to do in this kiln), and because it was perhaps too thick an application, the white fades into the main glaze.

I like the way the drips played out in this next pot.

Being that there is more color variation within the grey and green tones, the drip feels more at home visually. Here is the same glazes with a different clay, a half stoneware and porcelain mix. Because the body is white, the glaze is more bright, less austere.

The drip ran all the way down the pot's side and pooled just before falling onto the shelf. I guess I should consider myself lucky eh?

Well, I will keep working on the perfect drip. I may never achieve it as something perfect, but that should be the point. If too much time is spent trying to create that which is supposed to appear spontaneous and random, then how can we call it wabi-sabi?

Anyway, thanks for letting me share!

Testing midrange clays

2011-04-03T15:51:00.000-04:00

Here are some tests of three midrange clay bodies. The first (below) is a Red Iron Oxide wash, mixed with Ferro 3124 and EPK in thirds by volume. I chose three clay bodies, (from left to right) Brownstone, Desert Buff, and Half and Half, all from Highwater. The drip on the left side of each tile is a pure Oak ash, washed and screened mixed with water.

This is a similar test of washes using ash and MgO, mixed in the same proportions as the test above. The first tile, however is Max's White Raku clay from Axner.

Here are the Highwater Clays again, this time using Bone from Mastering Cone 6 glazes. There is a drip of the MgO wash on the corner of the tiles that works well with the glaze. All of these tiles were fired to a full cone 7 in heavy reduction.

Well, more testing is on the way. I really like seeing what I can do with these three clay bodies. I think the Half and Half is a sure winner with the Bone glaze, as it brings out a warm hue. I can't wait to use this clay to make some medium to small sized oval bonsai containers.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

Rich Reduction at cone 7-8

2011-03-30T16:40:00.000-04:00

Here is a couple of pieces from my last firing. Using my latest method of firing this kiln (see last post) I can now really push heavy reduction throughout the kiln. All pieces are from a mixture of clays using a lot of grog for temper, and have a good coat of an iron oxide wash.

The iron and heavy reduction gives a nice grey sheen to the pieces. This is a great unglazed look for a pine or juniper. Here is a commissioned piece for a beautiful pine:

I enjoyed designing this pot, with the tree design in mind. Here is the other side:

I also fired some other bonsai forms. Here is a medium nanban, perfect for a literati style evergreen tree:

Here is a commissioned nanban, very rustic, measuring 17 inches across. It was quite a lot of work being coil built, and it required a lot of pinching!

Here is the bottom; a double ringed foot for support and five drainage holes and tie down holes:

All in all it was a very successful firing with all cone packs looking identical. I am quite fortunate to the the kiln gods looking over my creations. Enjoy!

Fine tuned firings

2011-03-16T21:41:00.000-04:00

This post is a shout out to my clay buds. For all of us that have gone down the road of uncertainty, from firing in a SAFE electric kiln to jumping in full steam ahead into the world of atmospheric/gas, we know it is a challenging uphill climb. I knew that I was going to be flying blind at times, but I also knew through previous experiences that the harder the challenge, the higher the rate of failure, the more I would be able to learn and grow. So this post is about the trials and tribulations of firing one of the most troublesome kilns on the market today, the Olympic Torchbearer kiln.

What problems did I have you may ask? Well, overfiring, underfiring, and not being able to monitior things like gas pressure and see witness cones were things that I fixed early on. I added a gas gauge to measure LP pressure and fine tuned placement of kiln packs for optimal viewing.

Other more serious (and apparently common with this type of kiln) problems revealed themselves. Getting reduction and even temperature. I followed others' advice, with a baffle shelf under the top port, and keeping bottom layer of shelves high off the floor to allow for adequate combustion. This area apparently functions like a firebox in a wood kiln, and it must be allowed to exist with this kiln, especially with the use of venturi burners. I used two analog pyrometers and quickly learned, through several firings of wide flat pieces, how loading and flow play such an important part of this kiln's functionality. I took many notes and conducted several different firing scenarios. I learned how to adjust the top damper and shutter plates on the burners which gave me some insight but, results were limited at best. Reduction was unpredictable, chokingly smoky and unreliable, even after so many changes. I was at a loss. However, temperature consistency inside the kiln was getting better, especially when understanding how to manipulate the top damper.

Now, this was not good enough. During several firings I was experiencing back burning. This is where the flame goes down into the burner and burns down by the orifice, rather than at the top of the burner tube. I took off the burners and cleaned off the soot. Tried again, this time with added measures (inserting screens to the burners to stop the back burning as prescribed on the clayart archives) all to no avail. I called around for better burners (Mark Ward) but the kiln was too small for the new burners I wanted, so I was at an impass. I then looked into getting a whole new replacement burner system with a new manifold from Summit. I spoke to the owner and he told me that he, like Mark, was very familiar with these kilns. Peter Addessi told me what I needed to do, AND IT WORKED LIKE A CHARM!

Peter said that the conversion kits that he designs and builds feature venturis with no shutter plates. They fire wide open and he does not recommend the baffle shelf. So, I cleaned up the burners again, opened them wide open, and got rid of the baffle shelf. Voila! Perfection.

All in all this is no such a bad kiln after all. The design needs draft to keep the burners functioning properly. Once it is set up properly, you get very even reduction and even temperatures. I can close the top damper 2/3's closed and all peeps will reach with NO black smoke and choking unburnt fuel.

Thanks for letting me share this info. I would like to thank Peter Addessi (Summit) and Mark Ward (Ward Burner Systems) for giving me the proper info I needed to make this kiln be all that it needs to be.

Much thanks gentlemen!

Companions of KAWA

2011-01-18T22:45:00.001-05:00

At KAWA's Joy of Bonsai mini-convention this year, the host club displayed their pots from my workshop. The participants of the two part workshop were pleased to see their pieces displayed and they were all well received by those visiting the exhibit. Here are a few more...

Although I was not able to show all the participant's pots here, I hope you can get a sense of the diverse shapes and colors that were created. I hope to have some more photos available soon.

Cheers everyone

Comments welcomed...

Considering naturalistic forest group plantings...

2011-01-09T10:05:00.003-05:00

Those of you who know me may have noticed that I have been quite busy constructing containers for several upcoming forest/group planting workshops coming up this month. The pieces range in size from 13" to 24" and feature many naturalist features including variations in texture, overall shape and color.

Since I have a lot of time invested in the construction of these beauties, which by the way you will not yet find on my website, I thought I would spend a few moments to introduce them here. Rather than showing photographs of each one, which would be way too time consuming with 35 unique, one-of-a-kind pieces, I though I would give some background as too the artistic vein in which they were designed and created.

When planning a forest or group planting, an artist should consider several important aspects: which trees to use, which container to select, and what type of overall design to construct. Generally speaking, there are two basic styles that I see represented in the current modern form. The straight trunk design, usually presented in a classical oval container, and the dynamic and moving style formed in a natural rock like slab.

Let us consider this quintessential composition by the great master John Naka.

Entitled Goshin, this forest planting of Foemina Junipers was started in 1948 and remains in the United States Arboretum as a permanent exhibit.

This forest is a beautiful composition presented in a traditional oval shaped container. The forest has a grand static quality, unmoving yet graceful in its own right. It is a masterpiece reflective of rigidity and strength, yet allows for gentle movement of the foliage among the canopy. Perhaps one could contemplate its two basic directions: upward and outward. Upward movement in the trunks emanating from the collective base, and outward movement in the graceful flow of foliage from the open canopy.

I think the container is proportional for this group. It works well with the strong columnar like trunks. Like the trees the pot is straight; this blends with the trunks. The pot's depth is almost the same as the collective trunks thickness and that too helps unify the container to the forest. There is also a harmony in the tree trunks presented by the negative spaces that exist between them.

A final observation of this composition warrants a glance to the spread of the canopy and the containers width. Once again we have a sense of balance. The right and left first branches spread out past the pot, but just enough to give visual weight up to the canopy. It does not take away from the base and soil line, which could alter its proportions a bit. The canopy also features a lovely jin, which was intentionally placed off center right in the composition. Notice how its placement coincides nicely with the right side of the foliage. It overhangs the pot a bit more than the left. This was intentionally done to help balance out the overall composition.

Like the masterpiece above, forests can also be done quite effectively with the use of a more naturalistic slabs. In choosing one, a bonsai artist should take into consideration ways to bring harmony to the composition. Consider line, thickness of trunks, movement of subjects, negative space, and overall style. Take a look at natural rock slabs and see where to highlight certain features such as depressions or outcroppings. Save uncovered edges or margins in the slab to help frame the composition. This will help to harmonize the trees to their environment.

Here are some great examples of naturalistic style plantings...

Credits: (top and above right) Robert Stevens, (top left) unknown, (above) book cover by Sabuto Kato, forest artist unknown.

I hope you have enjoyed this brief presentation. I look forward to any questions or comments you may have.

Hope to see you at Joy of Bonsai in Bunnell!

Chawan for Michelle

2011-01-04T21:20:00.001-05:00

Here is a couple of shots of a chawan tea bowl that I recently made for my wife. I used a combination of some nice glazes and I think they turned out nice. I think I should use more of this color on some kusamono or shitakusa bonsai pieces too.

I love to experiment with glazes over and under each other. It can be great if the overlay does what it is supposed to, but we must keep testing and retesting and hoping for just the right effect.

Here is an example of a glaze combination that I have spent the better part of 2 months trying to recreate. It is actually two glazes from the Mastering Cone 6 Glazes book.

I combined Carribean Sea Green under a coat of Clear Powder Blue (I left out the Zircopax, an opacifier).

The lovely specs are from iron in the clay. I can't wait to use this on some more bonsai pottery.

Thanks for looking!

Slabs of COLOR for forest plantings

2011-01-02T09:22:00.000-05:00

With just a few weeks to go before the 2011 Joy of Bonsai mini convention I wanted to share some photographs of my glazed colored slabs that will be available for purchase. Although these are not ALL of my slab pieces you can get an idea of the type and size of some of them.

I have about 35 pieces in all ranging in many colors, sizes and textures. The unglazed types (not pictured here) range from reddish browns to mauve and red tones, all stained to give them a unique character.

This piece below was a commission that will be used as a demo for Mike Rogers in KAWA. He will be using it for a forest of Hornbeam or Crepe Myrtle. Mike is wonderful at creating a beautiful group planting with just about any material. I was very humbled to have made this slab for his demo at this years' event in Bunnell.

Later this week I will post an short article about the group/forest planting as it relates to the style of container. I am hoping to shed some light on the different STYLES of plantings and how a good container, pot or slab helps to effectively complete a well balanced composition.

Until then, enjoy your new year!

Thankfully,
Rob Addonizio

A Commissioned Oval for Jerry Meislik

2010-12-12T08:03:00.000-05:00

Do you grow tropical bonsai? Are you in the northern regions and forced to grow trees indoors under lights?

If you are a bonsai enthusiast, and answered yes to at least one of these questions, you may already know Jerry. He has written 50+ articles on the subject of bonsai and has made great contributions to the art of tropical bonsai. Jerry believes that bonsai should be created by using the same basic principles of design that an artist or sculptor uses: line, contrast, balance, rhythm, etc., and the effective use of such principles to shape a bonsai should be the key to all bonsai. This is something that I couldn't agree more!

Having lived for a while in South Florida, my old stomping grounds, Jerry developed a love for tropical trees in their natural state. I too remember the glorious Banyans, stretching several hundred feet across, ever so majestic and magical. There were a couple of pioneers who helped to get the banyan style rooted in the states, Joe Samuels, Jim Smith, respectively, whose devotion to the art of bonsai is still appreciated to this day. It is in this vein that place the achievements of Jerry.

Living in Montana is not where one would expect to find tropical bonsai, but Jerry has quite a few. Living under special halide lights they thrive and get all the special attention they need. Jerry has mastered the indoor bonsai culture to an art in itself. If you are interested in learning more about growing ficus bonsai, you must get his book: Ficus the Exotic Bonsai. It is a great read and a must have for your bonsai library!

Well, I was quite honored to have received a commission for a pot for Jerry. Here is the medium sized oval with a beautiful sheffelera in training.

With its arial roots it is hard to imagine this guy being grown indoors. I can't even get some of my ficus to grow arial roots in the heat of summer in Florida!

Anyway, I still think this tree and pot is quite the lovely combo. Thanks Jerry!

Slabs for forest or group plantings

2010-11-29T21:03:00.000-05:00

Since my last post, I have been designing, constructing, staining and glazing slabs for two forest and group planting workshops. They range in sizes and shape, and are individually formed. This slab above has a dark brown clay body and a rich mottled brown and amber glaze. They are complete with recessed wire channels and have extra drainage holes for health roots and good aeration.

In all I will have about 40 slabs, some with glaze (brown, tan, green, cream, slate blue) and some decorated with stain (dark brown, charcoal dark gray, reddish brown). Some slabs are small, from about 14" across, others are larger, spanning up to 25".

I would love any comments or questions you may have about these. At any rate, check back here in a week or so and I will post another example perhaps in a different style.

Thanks for viewing!
Rob

Reduction Brings Happy Accidents:

2010-11-09T20:04:00.000-05:00

This is a reminder of what happens when you don't sir your glazes each time before you dip them. I intended this pot to be more equal in coverage but in this case I will take what I got. The reduction from the gas fired kiln burned the iron in this almost white clay body. The thinner second coat of glaze revealed yellows and green which turned out to be a happy accident.

Pretty cool to get variation from just one glaze. Here is a photo of the same glaze on the same clay body, fired in my small electric kiln. It was also fired one cone lower.

Being able to have more options when firing pots can really pay off.

If only I could get my credit card paid off- now that would be a real happy accident!

A Diamond in the Rough

2010-10-26T21:52:00.004-04:00

Some of you who are of the more traditionalist vein may not really appreciate a bonsai container with such overt expressionism. I can understand that. However, every now and then I like to experiment outside of normal boundaries and create something more original. Something that challenges the status quo design ideals in the realm of contemporary Japanese inspired aesthetics. Here is a pot that takes a step, if a bit bold, into that direction.

This primitive hand formed rectangle features a very dark patina and craggy texture. When I created the pot, my plan was to make something that beholds a bit of rawness. There is unhindered movement in this soft rectangle. The movement speaks of freedom bound by nature. It makes me think of the El Greco painting, View of Toledo. In that composition a beautiful yet mysterious use color in the green and grey clouds envelope the composition, lending to its sense of foreboding. One of my favorite paintings as an undergrad, and I am still today enamored by its overt display of mood.

With this pot, I decided to push the envelope with folds in the clay, almost like what we see in a gnarled trunk. The use of line in the lip gives it movement and playfulness, yet its dark color lends a sense of depth. There is plenty of texture throughout the surface of the pot. To enhance its character of style, I used a bit of boldness with the streaks of line, akin to a painter's impasto brushstroke.

I will miss this guy, as it portrays one my most creative endeavors in ceramics yet. I realize that it represents an acquired taste, but thats fine too. What will be interesting to see is how the bonsai artist uses this pot to his advantage. Time will tell, but I have a feeling it will be a good one. The current owner is quite talented!

Here is a shot of the other side. I would love to know what you all out there in the blogosphere think of it. Any comments?

Studio shots from August

2010-09-05T07:56:00.000-04:00

August has been a busy, if somewhat patient month. Back to school, shift in schedules, moving from summer time to classroom, these changes require a bit of perseverance. Its not that going back to teaching totally robs me of studio time. I actually get MORE done when I am teaching. Perhaps it has more to do with the fact that the summer is spent on so many other projects!

Commissioned bonsai containers too, require a bit of perseverance, especially when they are very large. Challenges arise, and get worked through. I thought since I have spent so much time working on these two large ovals I could share a few photographs of work in process.

Starting off with wedging several large balls of clay that I have recently reclaimed:

I then center these large balls onto a very wide 28" inch bat made of plexiglas:

opening up....

taking shape...

shaping into the oval form...

rolling out the slab for the base...

getting it ready for mating...

the glue up, what a sight....

adding drainage holes after removing excess clay from around the base...

both ovals have feet and are now bagged to dry slowly ...

In my next post I will share the firing process of these behemoths. Just as much care and patience will be needed in that process as their construction.

Thats all for now, ciao!

Maiden Firing of a Gas Giant

2010-08-05T22:34:00.001-04:00

Wow, finally time to fire up the big guy from Olympic. This is my new gas kiln that I purchased this past December. It has taken quite a lot of time to get to this point, being that I had to build a structure/shed for the kiln and have a gas pipeline put in. It took quite a lot of time to get ready and read up on how to operate a fully manual kiln. This is quite an awesome kiln, capable of achieving 280,000 btu's of propane induced heating. Needless to say, firing it for the first time was quite eye opening!

Here are some before shots of some greenware and inside the kiln during loading. First level of shelves holds some small pots and test tiles.

The next level holds more of the same, with the addition of some small and medium ovals and a fun primitive soft rectangle pot.

Here in the photo below you can see that I placed the larger pots closer to the top. I nestled the bonsai pots inside each other to save space. The cone pack is placed in front of the side port for viewing during firing. In hindsight I think I will place this farther away next time so they are easier to see.

The top level of shelves includes a couple of rustic slabs for forest plantings.

Dual pyrometers monitor temperature variation between top and bottom of kiln, and the readings were recorded at thirty minute intervals.

The kiln reached temperature for cone 06 in the bottom half at 9:34, but I was having trouble seeing the witness cones to verify. I decided to run a bit longer to see if the kiln would even out in the top and I ended up over firing by about 2-3 cones. All pieces made out just fine though, no cracks or explosions to speak of. I guess I can't complain.

I may have to adjust my glazes a bit to help absorption due to the over firing, but I am holding my head high. Compared to firing an electric kiln with a kiln sitter, this was quite a feat. I fired super slow up to 600 degrees, and managed to show a bit of finesse with the burners. Cooling slow was also important. This kiln retains a lot of heat and it helped to get through some critical stages.

The next firing will really test my firing skills. The glaze fire will be very tenuous, but I am always up for a challenge!

Calling all Ceramicists: Can Anyone ID this Mystery Frit...?

2010-07-11T08:12:00.000-04:00

This ceramic material was given to me by a fellow art teacher who did not recall its original source. Now I need your help!
I use a lot of frit in my clay and glazes. To all non-ceramic folk, a frit is a ground up glass that is used to help achieve 'melt' in a clay or glaze. When materials often need a high temperature to melt, a frit is usually added to lower the final temperature, thus making the clay mature or vitrify sooner in the kiln.
When firing a ^10 glaze to ^6, a frit can also be used to lower a glaze temperature to achieve proper melt, or so the theory goes. I haven't done this, as it can be a bit tricky, but it can be done.
But I need help. I am trying to identify this material. I have been told that it is a leadless frit, but that is about all I know. Perhaps someone who reads kanji can help translate this for me so that I can begin testing. All I know is that it is a frit of some source and I need a place to start testing it.
If any of you out there can tell me more about this product or where I can learn more about it, please drop me a line.
Curious minds want to know....

Way to go Rick!

2010-06-05T19:38:00.002-04:00

I wanted to take some time here on my blog to congratulate Rick Jeffery, current president of the Central Florida Bonsai Club. He took a BSF President's Award for this awesome Cypress.

Here is his raintree that was also in the exhibit. It is really quite a stunner! Lovely grace and balance are quite evident in this composition, and it showcases Rick's talent quite well. Way to go boss!

Here are some of my accents that he purchased from my stand in the vending area. I sure do appreciate his support of my endeavors.

Where's Rob's Pots???

2010-04-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

I know, I know, a lot of you may be wondering where I have gone? Well I am still here, just buried under a rubble of bisque! But seriously I am trying to get my stock up for Bonsai Convention of Florida this upcoming May. My drying rack is completely filled and pots are starting to mingle with my power tools and glaze buckets. Needless to say I am working under a deadline of sorts. Ah, the gentle nudge of pressure is evident in my studio...

So, please excuse my absence of late. Its not because of my neglect, rather my priorities. I am looling forward to seeing you all at the convention next month-Take care, Rob

A few for Adam Lavigne

2010-03-22T18:25:00.000-04:00

Here are a few shohin pots that were purchased by Adam Lavigne from our study group, 'Noname'. He took the photo with his iphone and easily sent it back to me so I could load it up here. I need to get one! When I post pics here it takes me quite awhile because I have to download, upload to picasa for editing, download to my desktop, find the right one, WHICH TAKES FOREVER ON AN APPLE btw, and upload to eblogger. Sure, I know there are other easier ways to do it but I am a bit of a slow learner when it comes to technology talking from one device to another. 'Ah, technology!'

Martha's Crescent

2010-03-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

Been a bit busy lately. Several projects have been dicing up my time which is really quite alot considering that my pottery business is only part time. Between building my kiln shed for my new gas kiln, building a website (under construction), and working to get new stock made for the BSF convention this May, I have been quite stretched.

I did have time to make this commissioned pot for a client on the west coast. She has a beautiful pine that was acquired last January at the Joy Of Bonsai mini-convention in Bunnell. It was designed by Suthin into a beautiful work of art. Suthin helped design this crescent pot which I hope will make a nice combination. He suggested a dark grey/green gunmetal like color, but not glossy. This was a bit of a challenge yet I am pleased with the results.

There will be more crescents for purchase this May at the convention similar to the one above. Please feel free to share a comment or two here on my blog. I would love to know what you think.

Thanks for viewing.

I want to help the earthquake victims

2010-01-19T10:50:00.002-05:00

As I was getting ready to go to work today I heard more news about Haiti and the disaster relief going on there. Total destruction and choas, upwards of 200,000 feared missing or dead.

Now I want to do my part. It may be a small part, but I want to begin a pot auction to assist the RED CROSS in their relief efforts. Kev Bailey, the moderator of the Internet Bonsai Club, has agreed to help me out with this and I am hoping that other potters will follow. The IBC will donate ALL PROCEEDS from the sale to the red cross on my behalf, and I will pay ALL SHIPPING.

For the auction, go to the post link here: IBC earthquake relief , and I will be following up more information on the site about the pot and auction specifics....

Thanks for your help,
Rob Addonizio

I dig this glaze...

2010-01-13T07:07:00.000-05:00

I really like the color and optics in this glaze!

See you guys on Friday...

HAN KENGAI "Personality without ego."

2010-01-12T07:27:00.001-05:00

The japanese term for half cascade is Han Kengai.

I seem to appreciate this form more and more. Some of the best compositions that I have seen in this style seem to have the best balance. The graceful sloping branches take their time as they decend around to encompass the base of a great pot, all the while complimenting itself to the top, or apex. Artists and enthusiasts who work in this style have to work to keep the balance alive. The tree wants to grow upwards and must be trained down. The artist has to keep the bottom vigorous and keep the top short yet healthy.

To keep this visual interest below the rim of the pot I sometimes like to put some added features. A few rivets or a rustic chop help to achieve this small goal. It gives flavor and character to the tree and compliments it. Hopefully.

The trick is to add personality without the ego. That's the hard part!

Interesting glaze combo

2010-01-11T09:00:00.020-05:00

We potters can never quite seem to have enough time to experiment with glazes. Well, at least that's how I feel. When I was a painter, any color that I wanted could easily be mixed up. If I wanted a different shade, or a lighter hue, or even a darker value, it was easily accomplished within minutes. Sometimes the color that I wanted didn't work in a composition and I would have to keep searching, but the search was never a long one, at least compared to what happens in pottery.

Its a time issue. It takes at least a month's time to turn out test tiles of different color glazes, and then there is retesting to compensate for differences: firing temp, atmosphere, claybody, underglaze and stain, so on and so on.

So I have learned to be patient, or at least more pragmatic. I know that to get a good result in any glaze test requires planning and taking good notes. I still have a few commercial stand by colors on my shelves, but they are disappearing and I am moving more into the unknown. But I like the unexpected so I will follow these new directions and hopefully build on my positives.

Now, if I could only find my notebook......

Carol's accents

2010-01-10T09:50:00.002-05:00

Well, today is Sunday and we have 6 days to go for Joy of Bonsai, 2010. I am very much 'in the weeds' trying to get my inventory logged in and up to date. Its really quite a lot of work taking and logging photos. I photograph them, log them, edit them, upload, download, curse, upload, download, curse, etc...you get the picture. Okay, no pun intended.

I was asked to do some leaf like accents by Carol from KAWA. I have a total of 5 five in the set and I am sharing this couplet here. It features a yellow satin glaze over manganese speckled clay. I would like to do some more of these in my new kiln this year with some other combo combinations...

Stay warm guys!

Countdown to Joy of Bonsai 2010!

2010-01-09T16:03:00.000-05:00

Well, some of you guys have may been wondering where my new pots are. I have been very busy glazing my last set of pots. I never realized how much time it would take to get all 34 + done, but I am finally finished! Now I am gearing up for a great time at Joy of Bonsai, 2010. We will have lots of vendors selling pots, trees, accessories and all things bonsai.

Rather than put out photos of all my pots here and on my photo server Picasa, I have decided to share a few details from a few here this week. I have been doing some experimenting and some regular stand-by techniques in this round, and I hope if you get to see them in person you will be pleased or at least interested by what you see.

So if you like rss or subscribe or check back daily for a sample of what's to come. I will be sharing some samples and agenda items about the show this year. In the meantime, try to find a way to come to this great mini-convention. You won't want to miss it!

bbbbig bbbisque load!

2009-12-21T22:58:00.000-05:00

Yes, I have been a bit on the busy side getting this ready for next month's showin Bunnell. I have made 34 pieces in this double kiln load and hope to have them all glazed and fired by New Year's. I have been mixing up more M^6 Glazes, in the 1,000 gram size, and hope that mixing in bulk will pay off. I have ordered my new gas kiln and although it should be here next month I will be doing a bit of learning and experimenting before I actually can start using it....well, I will explain more details in another post.

Well, time for me to get busy and start glazing. I will be trying some new combinations/layering of glazes(oxidation for now), and I will probably post some pics of those if time permits.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Drumming up support for the IBC

2009-12-13T20:58:00.001-05:00

My round taiko bonsai pot is being auctioned to help out the Internet Bonsai Club. It features a red oxide stain and a rough textured groggy claybody, fired to maturity at ^6. All of the proceeds from the sale of this pot are being given to assist our international bonsai forum and its webmaster Kev Bailey. He has worked long and hard to bring it back online, and he is dedicated to bring it back to its original size and scope, if not more. I am very grateful for this forum, as it has been my 'bread and butter' of bonsai for MANY years. It was a great place to see other bonsai enthusiasts and artists alike. I have learned lots through my years on this great forum and I am very grateful to be able to help it bring it back to regain its place in BONSAI HISTORY!

So long guys...

2009-11-22T15:42:00.000-05:00

I spent yesterday at the first annual midwest Florida multiclub auction and workshop. It was a lot of fun and the weather was great! There was a huge auction with some very nice trees practically given away! I couldn't believe the deals. Here are some of the pots that I sold:

I really enjoyed getting a chance to meet and talk to some interesting people from the different clubs. If you get a chance to go next year don't pass it up!

Daddy wants a pugmill!!!

2009-11-10T21:09:00.000-05:00

I must admit as an undergrad I was never really aware of all the behind the scenes work that went into clay prep. Getting it just right for the unaware college student took a great deal of time in mixing and recycling, much of which was probably done by hard working grad students. But at least they had access to top notch working equipment. Oh, I am sure this was necessary as the amount of clay was huge but the use of the equipment made the work easier.
My bane as a potter is keeping clay in a good state to be used for throwing. I have several hundred bags of clay that I use for slabs and other handbuilding pieces, but it is a pain to throw with. I must do a lot to get it to the right consistency. Wedging and kneading helps, but it slows down production and wears out my wrists

This year I have been recycling my scrap and that makes the best throwing consistency. I slake down my bone dry scraps in water for a few days and blunge mix them up ...

This process is followed by what we potters call 'bat drying'. The clay slip is allowed to sit for a couple of days in the tub where water is skimmed off the top to get a thicker slop like thickness. I then pour out half gallon size amounts on to plaster bats to dry overnight. Here they are on top of my slab table.

I need to knead and wedge these batches up and then the cycle continues again. A pugmill would make quick work of this process. Although it is a bit of an initial expense, I am well convinced that this equipment is as important to the potter as a kiln. Well, time will tell...
Thanks for reading!

Bonsai Pottery: three ovals

2009-11-02T20:07:00.002-05:00

Here are some pots from the last run, a double kiln load:

a small oval with the same glaze combo as the last post,

a cracked oval about the same size but with different colors,

and this last one I am quite happy with. I like the way the glaze line falls down onto the stain and textured area.

Thanks for viewing!

Thanks M^6 Glazes

2009-10-30T06:15:00.000-04:00

This rectangle was stained and glazed with glazes found in the book Mastering Cone Glazes, by John Hesselberth and Ron Roy. In the book there are many delightful glaze recipes. The one on this pot is a mixture of two blues, one light and the other of a medium value. It is a great book. I highly recommend it.

Simple elegance

2009-10-10T10:13:00.002-04:00

This medium sized oval has a nice understated quality about it. In this photo the color is a bit greenish rather than yellow. I wanted to get some slight color variation by using a sporadic layering of white underglaze. This technique calls for more practice and experimentation to get what I want to achieve in the final result.

Enjoy...

Soft rectangle treatment

2009-10-05T08:18:00.002-04:00

This rectangle shows texture and stain and wabi sabi feet. It was fun to make and I am currently drying several more similar to this one. Its a bit tricky to make the round wall into a true rectangular shape so I made some special boards to help with the form alteration. I got the idea from another bonsai potter's website photos a couple of years ago. He is the true American master bonsai potter. Thank you Ron!

Love that dark clay!

2009-09-27T09:50:00.004-04:00

Here are three pieces from my last batch using a high shrinkage dark claybody. I understand that the dark color comes from manganese and dark ball clay. I stain it with iron on the bisque to give it an even darker color than it already has. It is the closest clay that I can find to match the fine Tokoname look that is used for exhibition bonsai.

Lovely intermingling

2009-09-18T23:20:00.006-04:00

I was unloading my pots from my last firing and noticed an interesting interplay of two glazes. The bottom glaze has a stoney matt surface texture. I brushed on a couple of coats of a ^6 glossy base glaze over the rim and wasn't quite sure of the end result. In other words I didn't make a test tile of this first, but it worked better than expected. If you look closely you can see the interesting small rivulets that caught my eye...

Enjoy-

Two for Smitty

2009-08-22T20:34:00.002-04:00

These two pieces were made for Steven in the Orlando club. The first is a carved drum using a very dark plastic clay. It was stained and fired to a hard^6. It has a bit of wabi sabi character in it.

The next pot is a medium sized shallow oval using the Floating Blue glaze that I have been experimenting with. Although the picture doesn't do it justice, there are small swirls of blue and bits of texture popping from the granular ilmenite that I mixed into this particular claybody.

Crackle toast anyone?

2009-08-20T20:36:00.003-04:00

These are some of the last group from this month. The first pot features a white crackle trim over a Red Iron Oxide wash. I decided to set the wash over it first, so I ended up bisquing twice before its final ^6 fire.

Octagon and Hex!

2009-08-17T08:24:00.004-04:00

These two geometric pots are done using slabs. This hexagon features a speckled satin glaze. It measures 10" across.

Here is a large octagon that measures 14" across. I used an albany slip glaze with white highlights.

Same pots, different colors

2009-08-13T16:06:00.002-04:00

Here are two soft rectangles, both about the same medium size. The first is stained in a Red Iron Oxide wash, the second is glazed with a turquoise satin color. I would like to work more on bringing out some depth with darker color in the recesses. Perhaps adding another glaze color to change it up a bit.

To be continued...

2009-08-12T18:31:00.000-04:00

August heat...

2009-08-11T23:03:00.003-04:00

I spent about a grand getting electricity out to my shed so I now have a true kiln shed! This is much better than having my kiln in my garage where it was previously. Lets just say it was too hot! Although I am still saving up for a larger kiln, I am pleased with this last batch.

Here are a couple ovals:

I'm melting!!!!!

2009-07-22T21:49:00.002-04:00

This pot reminds me of snow melting. I'll call this a happy accident. Although it was not what I intended to happen, I do like the result!

Enjoy Louise!

Oxblood blues...

2009-07-19T13:59:00.002-04:00

Here are a few tiles from my last red Oxblood recipe. I had to fire it twice to get more red to come out. Although its not too strong of a glaze color (red) it really needs a slower cool down to be more effective as a red glaze.

I will need to try again when I purchase my electronic controlled kiln later this year.

Do you like red?

2009-07-18T21:47:00.006-04:00

I have been trying a new glaze and it highlights texture quite well. Reds are not overly popular in bonsai pottery, except for some flowering types (azaleas and pyracanthas) and tropicals. I was happy when Sue from the Jaxonville club purchased this red oval pot for her collection.

I have also been trying some other red glazes recipes and I have not been as happy with the results.

Here is a green that I have used before. It has a lot of chromium oxide, and also works well with texture.

Some new feet for my ovals

2009-07-11T21:44:00.002-04:00

These are two details from a few from my last batch. I think this adds a new look to my pieces. Its more feminine, so it works well with the oval form.

Unexpected color...

2009-06-10T11:28:00.007-04:00

Here's what I discovered on this rectangle pot when I 0pened my kiln. Apparently, it absorbed some of the color from the pot that it was next to. The adjacent pot was a round olive colored cascade.

The picture below shows the intended turquoise color and the one below shows the interesting change to green. Although it was not intended, this unexpected detail adds a bit of character to the piece. Happy viewing!

2009-06-10T11:26:00.001-04:00

2009-06-10T11:24:00.003-04:00

Successful firing!

2009-06-10T08:17:00.015-04:00

Well, my glaze firing of 25 pieces was completed this past weekend, and I took a few moments to post a few samples to share. I have included some small ovals, a couple of rounds using my new dark claybody, and a large sage colored octagonal piece.

I am currently adding stock photos to my inventory; see the AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE section.

Studio Peeks- Some works in progress!

2009-05-31T08:22:00.010-04:00

This has been a busy couple of weeks for me. As I write this post, I am firing a kiln load of bisque. Since I am out of the studio, I took a few moments to post some of my works in progress.

The first few photos show some ovals that I started. Then I took a shot of a small white rectangle that was hanging out on my storage shelves, awaiting glaze. I am quite proud of the last one, a large angled octagonal rectangle. He actually is bisqued now, but I love the look of it in its wet state!

I would love any comments you might have.

Thanks!

bonsaipottery(at)mac(dot)com

Photo editing with Picasa

2009-05-17T22:03:00.010-04:00

This weekend I did some photography with my new camera. I was having some issues with lighting and picture quality so I made some lighting adjustments and bought a tripod. I spent quite a few hours getting things right with my setup. After many shots and downloads I was able to get some good stills. Unfortunately when I looked at them in my computer they came out too warm in color. They seemed to be in an oven! (photo above). I had lots of success by editing them in Picasa and this is what came out. I tuned the color shift and cropped each image.

For more examples, see my 'Currently for Purchase' links on the right.

Thanks Picassa!

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

2009-05-15T09:14:00.020-04:00

Ah yes, that old stand by phrase, practice, practice, practice. To a musician this mantra never dies. It was always something I'd remind myself even since my childhood days as a young music student. I can remember spending many countless and noisy hours practicing away trying hard to please my teacher in our next scheduled lesson. 'If i practice this measure over and over ...' Perhaps my students hear me saying it to them all too often now, often to their behest with rolling eyes and vacant expressions. But I tell them, 'trust me, it works!'

I teach music during the day and turn mad potter at night. Nowhere during the countless hours spent in my clay studio do I find repetition and practice to be any less important. I am constantly reclaiming, mixing and recycling clay. Then drying it to a desert like state, soaking it, then mixing, remixing, wedging, and finally rewedging. This tedious process helps to give a smooth consistency to the clay. Like in music, repetition and hard work are as important as the traditions themselves.

Forming clay on the wheel was my nemisis for years until I finally got the knack for it. Centering, shaping, pulling up, etc. were all things that were just out of my reach at the time. In college too I often just seemed to give up all too easily. It must be talent I thought. Maybe I don't have any. Hogwash! I soon after discovered that by embracing my failures and examining them rationally I would move past them. I had quite a few more episodes of this same frustration, but I kept at it and finally suceeded. It must have been the practice!

Recently I got an email from a very talented potter asking my help with contructing his slab built pieces. He stated that he was beginning to get rather frustrated with a point in his construction. I read carefully to what he was describing and gave him some advice. Here's the caveat: he was already basically doing what I was prescribing. I told him that it just takes more time to work out the details in the process. I felt like I was not really helping him with this advice, but then I realized that he probabaly needed to hear about the importance of keeping at something, even in the midst of failure. I like to think of failure as one of the greatest learning tools, if used correctly. The problem is, most of us expect positive results too quickly, so we move on to something else.

So if I could give a bit of my trusted advice to all potential musicians, potters and artist friends it would be:

Keep working at something and you can evetually make it work, be able to identify a failure and learn from it, and remember that the best solutions are the ones that you can come up with on your own.

Now, if I can just get the Hall's address on mapquest...

photo credit (top): San Jose Taiko Group

Here are a couple I forgot!

2009-05-11T21:45:00.005-04:00

This rustic oval measures 12" across.

2009-05-11T21:24:00.011-04:00

I enjoy making these rustic accents. They're fun too make and each one is very unique.

My stamps and a few more:

2009-05-09T21:25:00.010-04:00

2009-05-09T21:19:00.004-04:00

This is an experimental piece. It is square and measures 5" across. The holes across the top are for attaching guy wires. I hope to have a ficus potted up in it soon.

New camera, new pots!

2009-05-09T20:54:00.001-04:00

OK, actually these next two are not from my latest batch, but I wanted to see how it was going to photograph with the new camera.

2009-05-09T20:53:00.000-04:00

2009-05-09T20:50:00.001-04:00

This color of this glaze is actually much less muted in real life. It measures about 10 inches across.

2009-05-09T20:48:00.000-04:00

A palm sized accent, ready for a bit of moss or small plant to complete a tokoname display.

2009-05-09T20:47:00.006-04:00

Here is a medium small round made from a rich brown clay with a bit of grog for texture. If you click on the photo you can actually see the bits of grog. I want to thank Chad Beatty for helping my find this clay. He is an artist in his own right. To see his paintings, visit his link on the right side of this page. Thanks Chad!

2009-05-09T20:45:00.000-04:00

2009-05-09T20:44:00.001-04:00

This is an octagonal slab built pot. It measures about 12"across.

2009-05-09T20:40:00.000-04:00

This little shohin cascade was sold quickly to a very nice woman from the Central Florida Bonsai club.

2009-05-09T20:25:00.001-04:00

A medium sized shohin with grayish blue glaze and an arched bottom profile.

2009-05-09T20:20:00.001-04:00

This is the final pot from this group. It is a small rectangle with angled sides, rivets and texture.

Thanks for viewing!