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T H E T R A D I T I O N A L D I S P L A Y
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M A L C O L M D A V I S
H A M M E R E D R O U N D Traditional Glazed JOHN SWANSON
NORTH BRANCH BONSAI Illinois, USA 2025 2.9 x 11.5 x 11.5 inches Aardvark Carmel Stoneware Wheel Thrown and Trimmed, Hand Burnished and Hammered Malcolm Davis Shino Glaze Electric Bisque Firing, Gas Reduction, Cone 10 (~2345ºF) "Clay body, texture, glaze play together to create a bonsai container intended to evoke an ancient, hammered copper vessel that has aged, corroded but persisted with elements of its original luster. The glaze over the hammered surface texture is Malcolm Davis Shino - a carbon-trapping version of a traditional Japan glaze style. When this very reactive glaze is combined with the nearly black clay body, the result is a high shine copper finish. However, glaze drying speed affects the formation of soda ash salt crystals that traps carbon (black areas of the finish) during gas reduction firing. The final variable to produce this result is the surface text which affects carbon trapping crystal growth and how kiln gases interact with the piece. Intermittent and unpredictable glaze crawls add to the feel of age and exemplify the dynamic and unique nature of MD shino glaze in a cone 10 gas reduction kiln. A true one of a kind.
This piece is made of Aardvark Carmel stoneware and glazed with Malcolm Davis Shino. It was thrown and trimmed on the wheel including the feet. The piece was then burnished and hammered with a steel ball on a stick. Shino glazes were originally developed in the 16th century in Japan. The dynamic combination of MD shino fired in gas reduction provides 4 unique fronts to the container. A blend of softer forms and stronger finish makes this a versatile container that could accent a dynamic old tree. This piece was completed in 2 weeks." - John Swanson |
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A B O U T J O H N S W A N S O N
John Swanson, founder and artist behind North Branch Bonsai in Chicago, is an environmental engineer by day and a potter by night/weekend/every chance he gets. John began his ceramics journey in January 2023 with a beginner wheel class at a studio in his neighborhood and bonsai pots quickly became the focus. At first, it was a way to save money and enable his bonsai addiction, but developing skills and encouragement from his studio family and supportive husband began to expand his thinking related to his ceramics future. In January of 2024, North Branch Bonsai was born.
John’s passion is creating one of a kind, handmade, high-fired bonsai ceramics that blend masculine and feminine design elements that evoke the complexity of great bonsai trees and the humans who create them. Follow John Swanson on these platforms: Instagram: www.instagram.com/northbranchbonsai/?hl=en Facebook: www.facebook.com/john.swanson.922958 |
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T H A N K Y O U T O O U R S P O N S O R S
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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
