What's so special about painted bonsai pots?
Painting on a bonsai pot is not like painting on paper. Bonsai pot is a functional object and it imposes certain restrictions on what can be painted on it. Its function is to be a stage for a bonsai tree where the tree is the focal point of the composition. This is why subject, composition and colours of the painting have to be carefully considered not to distract the viewer from the tree. The three-dimensional and sometimes odd form of a bonsai pot can introduce additional challenges as well. I paint with pigments called underglazes and overglazes. Underglazes are not the easiest painting medium and sometimes require guessing what the final result is going to look like. Overglazes require firing each piece up to five times to produce the final result. Finally, painting takes time. In my case up to 9 hours for a single shohin pot.
Three sides of the same pot. Daffodils, chrysanthemums and bamboo.
Sold
Sold. A tribute to the work of a Japanese bonsai pot maker Sano Daisuke.
I felt that this pot lacked something and painted Japanese character for ‘everlasting’ on one side. I think it has a greater visual impact now.
This pot was formed during a demonstration at the annual exhibition of the School of Bonsai in October 2017. However, it was finished only in June 2020.
First prize winner at the AusBonsai Market auction in March 2020. A pot with another iconic detail from one of the Choju-giga scrolls. I like the subtle glaze sports on the right-hand side photo.
My first pot painted with overglazes. Something I started doing since August 2019. This piece was fired six times to produce the final result.
Overglaze aka-e.
Tried a decoration combining underglaze painting and carving. Effective, but needs further improvement. Displayed at the 37th Annual Exhibition of the School of Bonsai, Sydney in 2019. Funny story: I accidentally left this pot on a bus and it was never returned to the “Lost and found” office of the bus company. Bonsai people tend to find pots in most unusual places, so it might turn up somewhere one day.
Sold. A tribute to the work of a Japanese bonsai pot maker Sano Daisuke. Gold lustre on the rim and feet of this pot added a wow factor. Exhibited at EARTH & FIRE Bonsai Potters Exhibition in August 2019, Sydney.
A simple and a very traditional aka-e. Exhibited at EARTH & FIRE Bonsai Potters Exhibition in August 2019, Sydney.
I finally made a pot where blue underglaze works reasonably well. Exhibited at EARTH & FIRE Bonsai Potters Exhibition in August 2019, Sydney.
Displayed at the 15th Gafū-ten Shōhin Bonsai Exhibition, Kyoto 2020. I wanted to own a Chōjū-giga bonsai pot for many years. At some point, I decided to make one myself and here it is. It turned out reasonably well. I am planing to paint more pots with Chōjū-giga scenes. Displayed at the 36th Annual Exhibition of the School of Bonsai, Sydney in 2018. Also exhibited at EARTH & FIRE Bonsai Potters Exhibition in August 2019, Sydney.
This was my first attempt at aka-e. It was an imitation of Kutani Ikko's pots with dragons. I am happy with it, but there are still areas for improvement. The composition of the painted area is one of them. Displayed at the 36th Annual Exhibition of the School of Bonsai, Sydney in 2018.
I formed and bisque-fired this pot several years ago with no specific plan. A couple of years later I painted it with salad green and yellow underglazes with no specific plan. This year I decided to paint it with dark green in Itou Gekkou style. I would have made its form more refined if I knew it would be painted this way. Displayed at the 36th Annual Exhibition of the School of Bonsai, Sydney in 2018.