EBPC Potter Profiles |
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Willow Bonsai Pots - South Africa
By Antony & Mavourneen Smith
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Antony and Mavourneen are a married couple from Pretoria, S. Africa with a great passion for bonsai and their ceramics. They make a variety of styles of pots under the name Willow Bonsai Pots and have identified and provided for a much-needed niche in the S. African bonsai market – that being bonsai pots which are affordable and of a great, hand-finished quality. Whilst also running Willow Bonsai Pots, Antony is a bonsai artist, having demonstrated at top level shows in Europe, and now regularly works with the sensational Raffael Torres in Spain.
After deciding to resolve this unsatisfied need for affordable, quality bonsai pots in S Africa, in early 2016 the couple embarked avidly on pottery classes. They have been producing increasingly proficient ceramics since and like all great artists, have learnt most of their trade through continued trial and error.
‘When we started the pottery, we decided to make as high quality products as possible. We have pushed hard from the start to always get better and develop new pots and new glazes. Our glazes are made uniquely for us in Johannesburg, South Africa and they are all reactive, which creates unique and interesting pots’.
After initially creating Earthenware pots, Willow Bonsai pots are now made from a Stoneware clay and are high fired to 1220 degrees for a high degree of frost resistance and a quality product. ‘Our pottery starts off with moulds, thereafter each is levelled and finished by hand. Mavourneen does all the detail work on the pots and creates the finesse to our pots. Thereafter bisque firing and glaze firings finish off the process. Our studio and kiln are at our home in Pretoria, South Africa.'
Contact: Willow Bonsai Pots / EBPC
E-mail: willowbonsaishop@gmail.com
Website: http://www.willowbonsaishop.com
Commissions can be requested through us here.
After deciding to resolve this unsatisfied need for affordable, quality bonsai pots in S Africa, in early 2016 the couple embarked avidly on pottery classes. They have been producing increasingly proficient ceramics since and like all great artists, have learnt most of their trade through continued trial and error.
‘When we started the pottery, we decided to make as high quality products as possible. We have pushed hard from the start to always get better and develop new pots and new glazes. Our glazes are made uniquely for us in Johannesburg, South Africa and they are all reactive, which creates unique and interesting pots’.
After initially creating Earthenware pots, Willow Bonsai pots are now made from a Stoneware clay and are high fired to 1220 degrees for a high degree of frost resistance and a quality product. ‘Our pottery starts off with moulds, thereafter each is levelled and finished by hand. Mavourneen does all the detail work on the pots and creates the finesse to our pots. Thereafter bisque firing and glaze firings finish off the process. Our studio and kiln are at our home in Pretoria, South Africa.'
Contact: Willow Bonsai Pots / EBPC
E-mail: willowbonsaishop@gmail.com
Website: http://www.willowbonsaishop.com
Commissions can be requested through us here.
Potter Showcase
Pots by Willow Bonsai
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The ‘European Bonsai Potter Collective’ is brought to you by many of Europe's leading bonsai ceramists and furniture makers.
Willow Bonsai - S. Africa is an honorary EBPC member artist.
The EBPC are proud to be Willow Bonsai's distributor for Europe & works will regularly be available for sale in the EBPC Shop.
Willow Bonsai - S. Africa is an honorary EBPC member artist.
The EBPC are proud to be Willow Bonsai's distributor for Europe & works will regularly be available for sale in the EBPC Shop.
