Max Braverman
After graduate study at the University of Illinois, Max
Braverman spent 10 years as a Ph.D. biologist
specializing in developmental research and publishing
articles with extended titles like Studies on Hydroid
Differentiation. I. Podocoryne carnea, culture methods
and carbon dioxide induced sexuality. Then, in 1971, after
a year's worth of night classes in wheel thrown pottery, he
left the academic world to become a potter in Taos, NM
where he founded Ranchos de Taos Pottery. (If anyone
has a chop from that period, I would love to get a picture.)
A subsequent visit to Japan influenced Max's perspective
as a potter "in a powerful and permanent manner." He
was particularly struck by the beauty and simplicity of the common items of everyday
Japanese life, articles "perfectly designed for their function" and "devoid of ostentation or self-
conscious artiness."
After five years in Taos he spent ten years in rural New Jersey, labeling his pots as
Delaware Pottery. During this time, he met Chase Rosade and rekindled a long-held interest
in bonsai. Later, Max and his wife, Kate Bowditch, who is an artist in her own right, moved to
a quiet mountain valley north of Seattle, Washington where Max's potting art focused solely
on the production of bonsai containers. These were labeled Pine Garden Pottery
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.
