I N D U S T R I A L
​D E B R I S   P I L E
​Contemporary Glazed

BRIAN D. KRITZMAN
Michigan, USA
​2025

4 x 4.25 x 4.25 inches
​Stoneware, Wood, Brass, Paper
Slab Built
Salt Fired to Cone 10

"As a native Detroiter I have had direct contact with old industrial sites that are reclaimed by nature. What strikes me is that no matter the advanced development of the land or its contamination, nature is powerful enough to take back control. Mounds of debris from razed industrial structures provide enough opportunity for nature to take hold. The razed industrial landscape is the inspiration for this pot and its setting.

A five sided pot with the top edge cut on a bias gives the impression of a sharp jagged surface. I believe the five side pot shape coordinates with tree’s root structure in a more naturalistic way. A companion pot is also five sided with different proportions and a top angle. The companion pot would be planted with ground cover vegetation. The last element is a five sided rocklike form. All three elements are made from cone 10 stoneware glazed with a studio mixed green glaze and fired in a salt environment.

The last element of the display follows the traditional addition of a seasonal ink painting and modifies it to elements that tell of climatic conditions. An ink mark on sculpted brown rice paper creates a shield like and slightly aggressive backdrop. The intention for this setting is a small bedraggled windswept tree."

​- Brian D. Kritzman

A B O U T   B R I A N   D .   K R I T Z M A N

MFA, 1989, Cranbrook Academy of Art, 3D Design
BFA, 1986, Wayne State University, Industrial Design

Professor of Industrial Design, Wayne State University, Detroit Michigan
My work examines impermanence, mutability, and imperfection realized as simple domestic objects that encourage reflection.
​
Currently, I am working on a project titled “American Bonsai Furniture”. This project looks at the tradition of Japanese Bonsai display and recasts it through a regional lens. I am looking to the midwestern industrial landscape and vast expanses of farmland as inspiration.
​​
​

​
Follow Brian D. Kritzman on these platforms:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/brian_kritzman_design/?hl=en
Website: briankritzman.com/briankritzman/First.html

T H A N K   Y O U   T O   O U R   S P O N S O R S

D I S C O V E R   P O T T E R S   I S   P R O U D   T O   S P O N S O R   T H E   2 0 2 5   N O R T H   A M E R I C A N   B O N S A I   P O T T E R Y   C O M P E T I T I O N

For Learning Seminars tickets, lodging, transportation, merchandise, and all other event information, please visit the American Bonsai Society website.

ABS Website