Best of XX years Trophy - The EBPC perspective! 'Winning' pot chosen by Fujikawa san as his favourite of the EBPC pot display. The 'Trophy' bonsai exhibition this year, was a special 3 day event, to celebrate the '20 years of the Trophies continued success. It was an extremely impressive event and an honour to be a part of. In addition to the EBPC trade stand, my selfless and extremely generous friends (to whom I am indebted) and I organised a 100 foot display of Bonsai Ceramics, with 101 fascinating examples from across China, Japan and Europe - some estimated at over 300 years old! It was also an incredible experience to deliver a 'Bonsai Empire 'mini-lecture' with leading potter Tom Benda, on the topic of 'Pot Selection'. Thank you to Bonsai Empire for the opportunity and all those that came along and interacted with the talk.
Bonsai Empire's overview of the Exhibition, including a glimpse of the EBPC Pot Display. - Get your pots here! .. The EBPC Trade Stand.The EBPC had a fantastic weekend trading - at an incredible site within the trading hall. Many superb containers were taken home by our fantastic friends and customers - and we thank you all for your continued support. It is your support that enables the EBPC to keep expanding, support the potters, and offering you more free information and some of the best bonsai ceramics from around Europe.
EBPC organised display of 101 high quality bonsai pots.With the help and contribution of some of Europe's leading pot collectors, the EBPC also organised a display of 101 fine bonsai pots from China, Japan and Europe, ranging over a 300 year period. Rather than purely an aesthetically beautifully display, the arrangement contained a large number of rare and high class pieces, and was aimed more towards inspiring appreciation and interest. From a personal note, it was for me a sheer pleasure to have the opportunity to take my share of these pots out of their boxed homes and be able to share with friends and enthusiasts from across the world. I would like extend a warm thank you to all of the collectors that contributed incredible pieces, and helped with the arrangement, especially to; Guido Pozzoli, Harald Lehner, Dario Mader, Enzo Ferrari, and to all of the potters that made pieces especially for this show, or entered some of their finest (often award winning) pots, including amongst others; Martin Englert, Andrew Pearson, Igor Carino, Maria Jose Gonzales, Marc Berenbrinker, Thor Holvila, Tom Benda, Sami Amdouni, and Giang Nguyen (Lotus).
As with many other shows recently, bonsai ceramics comprised a more substantial part of the show; with this pot display, a larger proportion of ceramics traders, and even a visit and demonstrations by leading Tokoname's bonsai potters; Shuho, Reiho, and Koho. It was an honour to meet and speak with them, and fascinating to seem them in action! It is evident that in the West, greater weight is being given to the importance bonsai ceramics within the bonsai scene, as is the case in Japan. This is an inevitable process, as the level and quality of bonsai exhibited continues to escalate in Europe, as does the appreciation of its ceramics.
It was an enormous honour for me to discuss the pots with Masayuki Fujikawa san of the famous Fujikawa Kouka-en garden, Japan. Fujikawa san also chose his 'winning pot' and kindly presented this award to me for the 'winning' pot at the Trophy Gala dinner.
Bonsai Empire 'mini-lecture'Tom Benda and I also gave a brief talk on 'Pot Selection' at the event. We discussed how much a pot and their features influence the overall image of a 'bonsai', how to identify the image you are striving for, and how to select the appropriate pot to harmonise with your tree and create that desired image. It was fascinating for me to hear it from a leading potter's perspective and Tom's insight was fascinating. Further to this, I will be soon adding a free EBPC article on this topic.
We would again like to thank our customers, incredible support team, and everyone involved in the exhibition, especially the Bonsai Association Belgium team, led by Luc and Christian. The event was superbly well organised and was thoroughly enjoyable and inspirational!
... and this article has not even touched on the trees, traders, esteemed international visitors, or fantastic demonstrations including Ryan Neil of the U.S.A. and the Korean dream team! ... back to Bonsai Empire?!
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Me & Raimondi of Slovenia - First rate bonsai ceramists!
The EBPC is proud to announce new members to the Collective; Me and Raimondi. You can find out all about them in their EBPC POTTER PROFILE, which also shows examples of some of their fantastic work.
A video showing Me & Raimondi branch pots under construction...
We are very proud & excited to welcome a wonderful new member to the EBPC - Guerao.
An superb European bonsai potter, passionate about classical Japanese design and form, and experienced & knowledgeable with trees too. Read the EBPC 'Potter Profile' for this wonderful artist here. .. A selection of his works are available to buy in the EBPC online store here.  Spain is a leading European country where bonsai is concerned - with some of Europe's finest nurseries, museums, artists and collectors of trees and bonsai ceramic. Spain also boasts some fantastic bonsai potters, such as Maria José González Rodríguez, Carles Vives & Jose Antonio Guerao Navarro! The European Bonsai Potter Collective has therefore become a member of the ABE and are proud to support this great organisation, and to help spread the great Spanish bonsai pottery to bonsai enthusiasts around the world.
This event will be held on 3rd & 4th November 2018, for more information, please visit the ABE website at: http://www.abebonsai.es/    The EBPC continues to bring you the very best in bonsai ceramics... Makisada! - A few incredible pieces in store now! Please join me in welcoming fantastic French potters: 'TERRE EN VADROUILLE' to the EBPC! They traded last weekend at Arco in Italy, and this weekend will be at Expo de bonsai region sud - Donzac! Read all about them in their EBPC potter profile and examples of their work here. The EBPC will be releasing some of their pots for sale TOMORROW (Thursday 10th May) - around 4pm GMT!! And there are some superb mame and shohin stunners in there, including some beautiful painted pieces.  Introducing Second Generation Holvila. 熊谷
As many have been following through his fascinating blog, EBPC potters Thor Holvila and Carina Jern have just spent a month in Japan working alongside one of Japan’s most famous and well respected bonsai potters; ‘Shuhu’ - Hidemi Kataoka of Tokoname, amongst others. This article is an announcement and celebration of the ‘second generation’ of Thor Holvila’s works. Don’t miss this article (available soon...) on the experiences of Carina Jern on this momentous journey. The invitation came as quite a surprise, as this has not really been done between the west and Japan since the great friendship between Bernard Leech and Shoji Hamada in the early part of the 20th century. Thor and Carina hastily accepted this great honour and started packing for a journey into the unknown.
Having been a dedicated fan of Holvila’s work for 3 years now, it has been enthralling watching his artwork evolve and getting to know the fascinating man behind the pots. Thor’s passion for nature and art are quite inspiring, as is his humble nature and work ethic. Perhaps it was these qualities as well as his talent in pottery that appealed to the Japanese psyche. Holvila pots reflect the rugged, yet extremely beautiful surroundings around Sweden’s valleys and mountains. Works are influenced by the sense of immense power and peace felt gazing at a glacier, or the serenity of a waterfall scene.
Thor’s work is now very popular in America and Australia, in addition to here in Europe, and twice this year Holvila pots have been recognised and praised in Japanese bonsai magazines; ‘Bonsai Shunju’ and ‘Bonsai World’. Which in itself, is quite an accolade!
Thor and Kataoka san shared knowledge and techniques, which the enthusiastic Thor soaked up like a sponge. Needless to say, friendships were born and some wonderful pots were made in the process.
The pots shown are quite obviously Holvila pots, but with a definite and complimentary Japanese influence. The first has smooth lines, a beautiful shiro glaze and superb Holvila ‘skull feet’. The second is an evolution of the ‘Gotham’ design (a pot EBPC spotted and released in the EBPC webstore!), in a deep ruri glaze.
In addition to working alongside Kataoka san, Thor also spent time with other legendary potters, such as: the great Koyo (Aiba Koichiro), his son Juko (Kuniaki Aiba), Ikkou (Kazuhiro Watanabi), Bigei (Hirata Atsumi) and Eimie, (Hideaki Shimizu) son of Youzan.  It's not all work! From right to left: Eimie, Carina, Thor, Yukiko Kasai, Juko, Shuhu. Towards the end of the month’s visit, as a further mark of respect, Thor was honoured by the gift of a new potter’s stamp and name. As he stands between the mountains of east and west, he has been given the name ‘熊谷 （くまたに）, or in English - kuma tani – Bear of the valley. Dalbjörnen in Swedish :)  This new hanko / mark will be used for all future Valley Bear (Thor Holvila) pots and represents a new era of works, distinct from the ‘pre-Japan’ era. In Japan, ‘generation’ can also mean ‘era’ in this way and some Japanese potters will call themselves second generation as their work evolves markedly in this manner.  Bear retires to the valley ...The effect of these four weeks in Valley Bear’s work will be exciting to witness. Now back home however, and before even attempting to catch up on sleep, Thor has already been busy creating more inspired pieces! ... The EBPC are very proud to welcome ‘Valley Bear’; second generation Holvila. Thor Holvila pots are available from the EBPC web store at www.bonsai4me.com/shop
Once every year Tom Benda, Andrew Pearson and Thor Holvila meet up to make an edition of just 6 pots together which will be named and stamped after the country they choose to work in. In 2017 it was hosted by Thor in Sweden and the collection was named after the nordic rune Skräckhjälmen that symbolises the highest protection of all runes. They are all made individually but glazed by the host. This edition of totally unique and collectible pots are all stamped with each potters chop, the Triskele stamp and the rune Skräckhjälmen. All pots will be released and available for sale at the EBPC. Please message up here for further information and to register your interest.
A little about the pots and the potter's inspirations for them... Thor Holvila - 'Temple'.  ... After a few days we journeyed up into the mountains and the log cabin. The inspiration for this pot with its primitive carvings is inspired by the old buildings standing on the slopes of the Älvdalen valley. Tom Benda - 'Gul'
The atmosphere in Thor's studio in Goteborg was full of inspiration from the very beginning. My muse made me remember that I've made a few simple pots from one single piece of clay, but still having everything that a bonsai pot needs - walls, bottom with drainage/and wire holes and feet. This time I just had to aim a bit higher again 😉 "One piece of clay" was a redline bounding most of the pots I made during the wonderful Triskele meeting vol.1 - Sweden 😀 Andrew Pearson - 'Waterfall'.  ... This trip with my two good friends was such a brilliant time and I was out of my comfort zone on more than one occasion. Being away from all my usual tools like pottery wheel and slab roller meant that I had to make pots not in my usual way. This pot was one of those ways as this pot was carved from one single block of clay, something that I have never done before but very much enjoyed the process. Working with Thor and Tom opened up to learning new techniques which perhaps I would never have normally chosen resulting in a unique set of pots from three clay mad brothers Thor Holvila - 'Källa'.  When we sat down and asked ourselves where to start we came up with the idea to have a waterfall as a theme. This was one of the pots that sprung out of this idea. Tom Benda - 'Purple Bridge'  This time I began with the idea of a bridge pot, or let's say "hill forest" pot, although it's a shohin or kifu size for that forest. While working on the body, being focused and relaxed in the same time, a possibility of making the whole thing just from the single starting piece of clay slab whispered in to my ears 😀 I love the glaze Thor applied on this prototype pot. I'm looking forward to seeing this elegant but cheeky 😁pot in use, in near future, I hope... Andrew Pearson - 'Skräckhjälmen'   This was the first pot I made on my pilgrimage to Sweden. On the first Saturday Thor, Tom, Carina and I all sat round the table in a Saturday afternoon to make pots. I was at a total loss of what to make and with only a handful of tools I brought with me I set to work. Those of you that know my work know that I make a lot of slab built and thrown pots. So for the first one I decided to slab build and stick to what I knew. Whilst we were round the table we discussed that we should stamp each pot we make with a common mark that united the Swedish Edition and eventually with Thor’s expert guidance and knowledge of his Nordic history and his deep love of his ancient ancestry the Skräckjälmen rune was chosen. There was a theme of water waterfall that appears on some of the pots made. This derived from a simple map that Thor had drawn to show Tom and I the local area when he collected us from the airport. Thus at the table on that Saturday afternoon it was decided that we should incorporate the waterfall theme somehow in a pot we made. On this particular pot, not that you can see in the posted picture, on the rear side is my interpretation of a waterfall cascading out of the pot. The wonderful memories of this amazing trip will be around for as long as I am alive and will continue in these pots long after I am gone from this earth. These unique pieces are for sale, please contact EBPCThe launch of the sale will be at Bonsai Europa on 7th October, however they will also be available online on that day also. If you are interested in purchasing one of these unique pieces of history, please email Alex at the EBPC to be added to the list. We will contact you again before the pots are sold. To read about the first set produced last year, please click here.
Huge congratulations to Roman Husmann, whose pot was entered in the Italian 'Crespi Cup' 2017 and won an 'honorary mention'. This is a great accolade, and it is wonderful to see some well-deserved recognition for this fantastic artist. The contest, which is one of Europe's larger bonsai exhibition has a bonsai pot showing category, in addition to trees and suiseki (viewing stones) and was judged by Japanese bonsai master; Masahiko Kimura.  This style of pot has been for sale by the EBPC, and have proven very popular. The pots are expertly thrown on a wheel, with a twisting detail gently added, together with interesting details such as the feet and basal bands. The almost metallic grey glaze finish is beautifully complimented by a subtle but contrasting glimpse of gold beneath the rim.  Roman has recently made a series of stunning ovals which are currently available in the EBPC / B4Me shop. Once again, congratulations Roman!
Having seen his work, we really are very excited to be able to offer you pots from one of Europe's promising new bonsai potters, Mira! His work will be available for sale in the EBPC shop (link above) from Thursday 6th September.  You can read his 'Potter Profile' and see some of his work here. |
AuthorArticles are written by Alex Rudd unless otherwise stated. Archives
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