Brandywine Bonsai Society
The purpose of this site is to promote the art and craft of pottery for bonsai in North America by providing a guide to the practitioners of this art form that is so essential to the art of bonsai. Introduction The word "bonsai" comes from the Japanese words "bon" (pot) and "sai" (tree) and literally means "tree in a pot". Most individuals who use the term bonsai are referring to the tree, but from the name, it is clear that the pot or container is essential to complete the bonsai whole. In bonsai, the container or pot is almost always ceramic. The pot must be carefully matched to the tree in size, style, color and "gender." The pot should complement the tree and not draw attention to itself rather than the tree or the total composition. Inexpensive pots are used for initial training but nicely trained trees deserve nice pots. Trees grow and change in style, so as a tree matures, the "perfect pot" may change. As a result, there is a saying in the bonsai community that one can never have too many pots. The corollary is that one never has the right pot for a given tree after a restyling. There are several bonsai styles that do not employ ceramic pots. Those include single trees or forest plantings on rough stone slabs or, more recently, synthetic slabs from ciment fondue or fiberglass. Trees clinging to rocks are another familiar theme in bonsai; the stone may or may not be placed in a ceramic pot or suiban. Chinese penjing often employs marble slabs carved into shallow oval or rectangular trays. Bonsai is often viewed as a very traditional art bound by many rules instituted or codified by the Japanese. These traditions are an important underpinning of bonsai and it is wise to understand the rules and why they exist. There are many books that will guide the beginner through the intricacies of bonsai. All art is based upon balance and composition, but bonsai includes the additional aspect of a living and growing organism. To understand the rules is critical, but bonsai is also an evolving art, not only in the growth of its trees, but also in the evolution of its artistry. Very traditional styles can stand side by side with modern or even abstract works. See the wonderful article " Bonsai Containers as Ceramic Art " by Fred Aufschläger for a description of bonsai and pot styles and how they relate to one another. There is a related site on identifying bonsai pottery of the world hosted by the Dutch bonsai portal. That site is currently focussed on marks or chops of the entire world and is thus very complementary to this effort. Organization There are several ways to view this site. We have compiled a directory of artists and their signatures, seals, rakkan (Japanese seals) or other identifying marks. Those identifiers link directly to individual pages for each artist. One may also simply browse through the artist pages or return to the home page or the directory at any point. We devoted pages to each of the artists we have identified giving a very limited impression of their work. We have also included very brief information about the artists. Where possible, we have also included links to their own or other web sites where you can find additional information. Purpose The initial basis for this site was a project undertaken by the Brandywine Bonsai Society to document the pot collections of its members. Several of these collections are deemed to be of significant historical value. Other photographs have been taken from the internet. (Where we are aware of copyrights, we have obtained permission to reproduce, though this does not imply that our readers have permission to reproduce.) It is brought to you as a service to the bonsai community at large. It was our intent that all of the information is correct, up to date and useful, but it turned out to be too much work. There are now, more up-to-date repositories of information and some of them reference this material in detail. In fact, reviewing what is left of this database highlights its original age. All of the remaining potters are going out of the business, out of the business, or deceased. Finally, in keeping with our objective to promote the art of bonsai pottery in North America, and for that matter, around the world, we encourage bonsai enthusiasts and clubs to do so also. When we are showing trees it is common to
Tiny contemporary pot.
A huge classic pot.
Modern pot as contemporary art
Links below in blue are not yet working
The Art of Bonsai Pottery by Steve Ittel
Brandywine Bonsai Society is an educational organization and as a result, the material in this site may be copied for educational purposes. If large portions are copied, we would appreciate attribution. We welcome links to this site.
The purpose of this site is to promote the art and craft of pottery for bonsai in North America by providing a guide to the practitioners of this art form that is so essential to the art of bonsai. Introduction The word "bonsai" comes from the Japanese words "bon" (pot) and "sai" (tree) and literally means "tree in a pot". Most individuals who use the term bonsai are referring to the tree, but from the name, it is clear that the pot or container is essential to complete the bonsai whole. In bonsai, the container or pot is almost always ceramic. The pot must be carefully matched to the tree in size, style, color and "gender." The pot should complement the tree and not draw attention to itself rather than the tree or the total composition. Inexpensive pots are used for initial training but nicely trained trees deserve nice pots. Trees grow and change in style, so as a tree matures, the "perfect pot" may change. As a result, there is a saying in the bonsai community that one can never have too many pots. The corollary is that one never has the right pot for a given tree after a restyling. There are several bonsai styles that do not employ ceramic pots. Those include single trees or forest plantings on rough stone slabs or, more recently, synthetic slabs from ciment fondue or fiberglass. Trees clinging to rocks are another familiar theme in bonsai; the stone may or may not be placed in a ceramic pot or suiban. Chinese penjing often employs marble slabs carved into shallow oval or rectangular trays. Bonsai is often viewed as a very traditional art bound by many rules instituted or codified by the Japanese. These traditions are an important underpinning of bonsai and it is wise to understand the rules and why they exist. There are many books that will guide the beginner through the intricacies of bonsai. All art is based upon balance and composition, but bonsai includes the additional aspect of a living and growing organism. To understand the rules is critical, but bonsai is also an evolving art, not only in the growth of its trees, but also in the evolution of its artistry. Very traditional styles can stand side by side with modern or even abstract works. See the wonderful article " Bonsai Containers as Ceramic Art " by Fred Aufschläger for a description of bonsai and pot styles and how they relate to one another. There is a related site on identifying bonsai pottery of the world hosted by the Dutch bonsai portal. That site is currently focussed on marks or chops of the entire world and is thus very complementary to this effort. Organization There are several ways to view this site. We have compiled a directory of artists and their signatures, seals, rakkan (Japanese seals) or other identifying marks. Those identifiers link directly to individual pages for each artist. One may also simply browse through the artist pages or return to the home page or the directory at any point. We devoted pages to each of the artists we have identified giving a very limited impression of their work. We have also included very brief information about the artists. Where possible, we have also included links to their own or other web sites where you can find additional information. Purpose The initial basis for this site was a project undertaken by the Brandywine Bonsai Society to document the pot collections of its members. Several of these collections are deemed to be of significant historical value. Other photographs have been taken from the internet. (Where we are aware of copyrights, we have obtained permission to reproduce, though this does not imply that our readers have permission to reproduce.) It is brought to you as a service to the bonsai community at large. It was our intent that all of the information is correct, up to date and useful, but it turned out to be too much work. There are now, more up-to-date repositories of information and some of them reference this material in detail. In fact, reviewing what is left of this database highlights its original age. All of the remaining potters are going out of the business, out of the business, or deceased. Finally, in keeping with our objective to promote the art of bonsai pottery in North America, and for that matter, around the world, we encourage bonsai enthusiasts and clubs to do so also. When we are showing trees it is common to label the genus and species of tree. We would also encourage you, whenever possible, to identify the artist who constructed your pot. There is no better way to acknowledge their important contribution to our hobby or passion. Online References: https://americanbonsaiceramics.com/ h t t p s : / / w w w . b o n s a i e m p i r e . c o m / l o c a t i o n s / p o t t e r s / b o n s a i - p o t t e r s - america https://www.arbonsaiart.com/discover-potters.html
Tiny contemporary pot.
A huge classic pot.
The Art of Bonsai Pottery by Steve Ittel
Brandywine Bonsai Society is an educational organization and as a result, the material in this site may be copied for educational purposes. If large portions are copied, we would appreciate attribution. We welcome links to this site.