Hennigan’s Adventures in Pottery.

[Mike Hennigan]

I recently started taking a handbuilding class at a local clay studio to make myself some bonsai pots. I’ve decided I’m going to rent a shelf at the clay studio after the class ends to continue working on pottery. I’d like to feel out pottery as a possible profession or part time profession down the line, and would like to start selling some of my pots at some point and see how it goes.


I took a ceramics class in high school and really loved it. I’m 31 now so it’s been a while since I’ve worked with clay, but it felt like returning to something very familiar and have really enjoyed it so far.

These are the first two pots I made in the first class, just free form pinch pots that I later added some simple feet to. Nothing amazing but kind of interesting. I’m thinking of planting a miniature ‘seiju’ Chinese elm forest in the blue one.







This is the third pot I made. A circular sort of lotus looking pot that I made my pressing a slab into a bowl and then carved the contours into the sides and carved the lip in a flower petal sort of design. It has 6 feet.





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[Mike Hennigan]

And this is the fourth pot I made, a simple rectangle with a clear matte glaze and a “wheat” overglaze on the rim. Love the simplicity of the glaze here.



I will keep adding my new work to this thread. I appreciate all feedback! Thanks for checking the pots out.

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[Tentakelaertje]

Really cool pots man, and for a third pot that is absolutely amazing! Please post more pics!

 

[Starfox]

Great stuff, I'd love to see more too.

Well done Mike

 

[Anthony]

The blue feels like it needs an island effect. As I see waves.
Lots of ability.
Lets hope you guys don't over load the bonsai pot situation.
Can you sculpt ?
Vases ?
Lanterns etc.

Well done.

What will the prices be like?
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Mike Hennigan]

What will the prices be like?
Good Day
Anthony

No idea! I’d like to get a few more pots under my belt and hone my skillls a bit before I start selling my pots. We’ll see! Also, I figure I will make other things besides bonsai pots, but definitely focusing on bonsai pots for now.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

A couple new pots fresh outta the kiln on Sunday. The first is a carved round hand built with a slab. I used a bowl with a nice shape I picked up from Salvation Army as a drape mold to achieve the shape. The carving design i came up with by sketching some ideas out beforehand. The construction of the pot was very time consuming since I was trying to freehand carve this very symmetric design, and it was the first time I had really attempted anything like this. If I were to do a more freeform carving it would take me a a fraction of the time i’m sure. I like the way the glaze came out and the way it broke over the carved lines. With the depth of the pot, I could see this being a good choice for an azalea or the rare cascade maple. Check it out, let me know what you think.

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Here’s the second. This one was more of an experiment in aesthetics. I put it together quickly and it’s got a lot of flaws. I mistreated the slab that makes up the bottom of the pot and it warped in the firing and has a decent crack in it. I was a bit careless with this one. Though I REALLY love the aesthetic and plan to make similar pots of a higher quality. I built the walls by cutting up a bunch of slabs into random sized pieces and then pieced the walls together bit by bit I was going for the feel of a cliff face or just jagged rock in general. I really do love the glaze combo I chose on this one and really do think it compliments the form well. It’s almost icy looking and the glaze came out as mostly matte (not shiny) which I like for this style of pot. This particular pot will never house a temperate bonsai since it’s generous cracks could not stand up to the ice. It will probably just end up being used for some succculents or house plants of some kind. Looking forward to refining this concept with some higher quality pots!

 

[MHBonsai]

A couple new pots fresh outta the kiln on Sunday. The first is a carved round hand built with a slab. I used a bowl with a nice shape I picked up from Salvation Army as a drape mold to achieve the shape. The carving design i came up with by sketching some ideas out beforehand. The construction of the pot was very time consuming since I was trying to freehand carve this very symmetric design, and it was the first time I had really attempted anything like this. If I were to do a more freeform carving it would take me a a fraction of the time i’m sure. I like the way the glaze came out and the way it broke over the carved lines. With the depth of the pot, I could see this being a good choice for an azalea or the rare cascade maple. Check it out, let me know what you think.

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I really like this one. Very unique. If it had a solid lip/rim and a little lower height feet I'd pay good money for one of these! Great craftsmanship.

 

[just.wing.it]

Dude, killer pots!
And I dig the jam gear too!
I keep the resonant heads off of my toms too...all thumpy attack, no sustain ?

 

[Mike Hennigan]

I really like this one. Very unique. If it had a solid lip/rim and a little lower height feet I'd pay good money for one of these! Great craftsmanship.

Thanks a lot man! Noted. I do think the angle that I took the pictures makes the feet look larger. I took the pics from below the lip of the pot so you could see the carving better. I think from a more regular angle
Of viewing the size of the feet looks pretty good, but you gave me something to think about!

 

[Mike Hennigan]

Dude, killer pots!
And I dig the jam gear too!
I keep the resonant heads off of my toms too...all thumpy attack, no sustain ?

Thanks! Hahaha yea I feel that, I like my percussion to be real punchy.

 

[just.wing.it]

Thanks! Hahaha yea I feel that, I like my percussion to be real punchy.

Mmmmmm....love me some punchy percussion.
Now I'm trying to get our second drummer, plus a timbale guy and a hand drum guy! Lol!
https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/music-stuff.35363/

 

[Mike Hennigan]

A little sneak peak of some unfinished pots with some serious texture. Pretty psyched to finish these up. The larger one is about 10 inches across. I have another round in this style that is a size in between these two. Will post pics post glazing and firing.