Pictured above is the plaque recording and celebrating all of the stamps and signatures used by Andrew Pearson of Stone Monkey Ceramics throughout his career. Currently the only such plaque in existence, Andrew kindly produced this for the EBPC to be used for pot displays and it can be seen above in the company of plaques by Japanese greats - Gyouzan, Bigei, Reiho, and Kakuzan. 

Revered across the bonsai world, Stone Monkey Ceramics comprehends and is conscious of the the tree-pot marriage and produces excellent designs, in a variety of forms and finishes that suit trees impeccably. As the first Westener to have been invited to participate in the world's leading bonsai exhibition and small pot contest, 'The Gafu-ten', (which he won first place in the unglazed section!!) we thought it fitting to have such a plaque made by Andrew - the first by a European potter as far as we know. 

The EBPC are proud to support such artists, and we are very excited to be able to offer a range of 20 exclusive pots by this leading artist - COMING VERY SOON! 

Thank you for supporting the EBPC and great European bonsai ceramics. 

We have once again been very fortunate to be able to offer you the latest batch of exquisite pots by Ian Baillie - fresh out of the kiln. 
This week, a few pots will be released each day from Wednesday - at 6pm (gmt).  ... Thank you Ian, and enjoy these fantastic pots everyone! ​

.. Don't miss the LIMITED EDITION RANGE of KOWATARI-inspired pots in store TODAY (6PM) at https://europeanbonsaipottercollective.ecwid.com/EBPC....

Thank you for supporting the EBPC and European bonsai potters.

Introducing the ‘MASTERCLASS SERIES’

• Hi David, Thank you for joining us to discuss your new masterclass series.

It is truly a pleasure to see such an intricately designed and refined piece of furniture made in Europe.
Can you tell us more please about the idea behind the Masterclass Series?

• Hi. Yes, of course.

 
After some years of wanting to create more intensive and detailed tables, but never having the time, a client asked me to look out for a best match table for his high level tree. This immediately reignited my aspiration and soon I agreed to making this special table, even if it will take a long time to build.
 
I have always taken inspiration for my tables from museums, antique tables, and the Gafu-ten exhibition in Japan. I read in the book of 'Edoardo Rossi' (Kazari) that there were masterclass tables in Japan, the photos of which were collated  in a book , entitled ‘The book of tables’. This led me to the Idea of offering my clients such a limited series of intricate ‘masterclass tables.’
 

• How many of these masterclass tables will you be making?

 
I will aim to make one a year. The amount of work is very intensive and a table like this takes a lot of  time to design and create. It is hard to know how many I will be able to make as each one will be unique. I will not repeat the same design twice. I cannot  spend all my time on one table like this, so I will need to work on it between other commissions.
 

• The finish is fantastic, can you tell us which wood is this table made from?

 
The wood on the first model is a variant of Sipo wood from old stock I had the chance to buy, most of my money goes into buying rare wood for future projects.
 
I'm now making a second model using Ovangkol wood, which is more often used in musical instruments construction, such as for guitars etc.
I would like to use some Zelkova wood but we have none in Europe that I could find so far.
 
In most cases I like to use exotic wood because of the beautiful grain. The last table that I build for my own collection was from Imbuia wood. I imagine I'm the only one in Belgium with a small amount of this wood as the tree is now protected and export not allowed. Beside this, the wood is very expensive and it would make the total price of work and materials too high I guess.
 

• Can you tell us anything about the exquisite finish on this table?

 
The finish takes many hours of applying layers of oils etc. It also takes a lot of work to meticulously sand all the small details before you can start with the finish. All in all it is the kind of work you need 100% focus for - so it cannot be done in one go, and must be left to rest from time to time.
 

•  These unique tables will no doubt be very collectable items and I expect a great investment for the future?

 
Yes, I think so. Every detail is carefully attended to. The transport case for example, will have a second fabric protection with the DR logo so you will notice directly when the box is opening that a masterclass table is inside.
 
In japan these tables are stocked in a special room separately of other tables because of their value and as a sign of respect.
 
I'm now busy on a new one, which I completely designed myself so I'm almost sure there will not be another like this in the world which for me makes even more interesting .

• Thank you David, it has been a pleasure talking to you and learning about the Masterclass Series! We very much look forward to seeing the next tables. 

Pots by Yaruki Ceramics will be in the EBPC shop on Thursday 8th - and will be sent to buyers DIRECTLY by the artist - from within the EU. ​

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​Perfect training pots for the serious enthusiast and ideal all round growing pots, with multiple advantages over traditional plastic pots.

The design of the pot, not only offers air-pruning technology, to reduced root circling and increase feeder-root mass, it also aids in drainage and air-circulation. Healthier roots mean healthier trees.
 
The potential to ‘guy wire’ rather than wire branches has many advantages, such as less chance of causing wire damage or knocking off almost invisible new buds. 
 

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Antony and Mavourneen Smith ...aka ‘Willow Bonsai Pots’ are a wonderful couple from Pretoria, who have been passionately pushing the boundaries for South African bonsai and have become popular on the European bonsai scene. Antony demonstrated at the U.K. National Bonsai Show 2019, and whilst in London, I took the couple to visit leading potters; Stone Monkey Ceramics and Walsall Studio Ceramics. Having spent some time with them, it really was inspiring to see their dedication to bonsai and to creating attractive, useable and affordable pots.
 
We are excited to announce that Willow Bonsai Pots are producing a limited edition EBPC Stamped range of their beautiful pots, with some of their best forms and glazes. These will be available in the EBPC store, and will be released at ‘The Trophy’ exhibition, in Belgium at the end of February 2020.
 
Congratulations also to Willow Bonsai on their new website – being launched NOW – as this article is published! 

• So please check it out at  www.willowbonsaishop.com

 
But first, you can read more about them and see a selection of their pots on their ‘Potter Profile’ here.