Making the Perfect Pot: Bonsai Pottery As Art

摘要

I am frequently asked at conventions "Oh, do you also do bonsai?" This question always takes me by surprise because I feel serious involvement in bonsai is mandatory to be an effective bonsai potter. Knowing how to design and make a good bonsai pot isdirectly related with knowing how to design and make a good bonsai tree. This is most evident when looking back at my first year pots. They looked surprisingly like my first bonsai trees, pretty bad. It's not that I was new at clay work, (I had been making functional and decorative pottery for 15 years), it's that making a believable bonsai pot proved to be much more than just drilling holes in the bottom of shallow dishes. Only after advancing my knowledge and skill in bonsai could I understand the subtle and unique design principles needed for making good bonsai pots. Basically, as my trees improved, so did my pots and my understanding of how this marriage works. I hope they will continue to evolve together.