The amazing art of MJ Lai (Mrs. Tokutake)

[Shogun610]

Maybe don't tho

It’s a joke bro ……and they should have known better

 

[badatusernames]

It’s a joke bro ……and they should have known better

Hah, they definitely should have

 

[HamburgerTrain]

This is an insightful video! I could learn a thing or two. Only difference is I made the pots and will be painting them for this batch heading to Nationals. The banter between them is so fun. Japan has a huge number of bonsai potters compared to the U.S. so their pricing tends to be a bit more competitive. I paint my pots mostly right side up though. For lighter washes you can use an eraser to remove ‘mistakes’. Thicker lines I use a blade to scrape off. If anyone has questions on any of the processes involved in making or painting pots feel free to ask.

I want to know what brushes and paint to use! I’m getting ready to get back in studio once my youngest starts kindy garden in a week.
Art subject suggestions; egg salad sandwich, cupie mayonnaise, anthropomorphic fanny pack, jackalope, stapler (office supplies), kuma segway, sea cucumber, mogwai, the artist formerly known as Prince, Junji Ito snail.

 

[Sansokuu]

Some pots from the latest firing. Sadly the big rectangle has a crack in the foot area, so that one will be heavily discounted.

 

[Sansokuu]

I want to know what brushes and paint to use! I’m getting ready to get back in studio once my youngest starts kindy garden in a week.
Art subject suggestions; egg salad sandwich, cupie mayonnaise, anthropomorphic fanny pack, jackalope, stapler (office supplies), kuma segway, sea cucumber, mogwai, the artist formerly known as Prince, Junji Ito snail.View attachment 505760

You can use any good high quality watercolor brush. pigment is trickier, you can use underglazes that are pre mixed at the store but it’s like painting with a milkshake. I grind my gosu pigment with some kind of gum medium and some water. I tried with some red mason stain I got locally here from Georgies and it didn’t behave the same way. It was very repellent of the clear glaze I used on top. But pigments are tricky in general cause the yellow gosu I got from japan behaved similarly..

 

[pandacular]

scanning for possums...

I really love this batch! The frog is excellent as is the toad with the snail on him head. I'm hoping to get to the Shohin School this winter, can't wait to see you and grab a pot or two!! I have a very serious A. palmatum shohin that needs some levity.

 

[HamburgerTrain]

Some pots from the latest firing. Sadly the big rectangle has a crack in the foot area, so that one will be heavily discounted.

View attachment 505773

That pony rules!

 

[snowman04]

Love the frog(s)...

 

[Perplexody]

Some pots from the latest firing. Sadly the big rectangle has a crack in the foot area, so that one will be heavily discounted.

View attachment 505773

Goodness those are some of the prettiest pots around, am super stoked to see those large ones, maybe one of them can find their way online after nationals. Obviously I'm hoping that you get to leave empty handed with a full wallet

 

[namnhi]

Some pots from the latest firing. Sadly the big rectangle has a crack in the foot area, so that one will be heavily discounted.

View attachment 505773

So which one(s) is mine Ms. Lai?

 

[Balbs]

Those are amazing. I hope there are some left by the time I find your table.

 

[Sansokuu]

Been feeling dragony so I doodled this. Now if only my legs would stop falling asleep so I can get more done in a sitting.

 

[Sansokuu]

Those are amazing. I hope there are some left by the time I find your table.

I’m sure there will be plenty, people find my stuff kinda pricey I apologize for that, but I don’t make these often and they put a big strain on my already damaged hands and eyes.. I tend to only discount items that haven’t sold for a couple shows. But I hope some will be reasonable for folks.

 

[snowman04]

I was told a long time ago that you only pay for quality once... Looking forward to getting come of your work!

 

[pandacular]

I've often heard that many potters consider themselves not artists but craftspeople, and price their stuff accordingly. That's hooey! If folks think your prices are too high, that only means they're not too low.

 

[Sansokuu]

I've often heard that many potters consider themselves not artists but craftspeople, and price their stuff accordingly. That's hooey! If folks think your prices are too high, that only means they're not too low.

That is Nao’s philosophy, so we butt heads very much on pricing. The Japanese philosophy is such that many crafts are crafts until the craftsman is so skilled at what they do the work transcends to art, but before then to call it such is pretentious. I don’t churn out my drawings like a crafts person though, each one is a little unique from the last, and when I am comfortable enough I will paint exhibition quality shohin pots.

That is what makes pottery so special and unique from other mediums, it can put on many hats. A humble plain coffee mug, or an art gallery level piece. Bonsai pots straddle that line of function and aesthetic, so I think it is up for interpretation. Ultimately it is about how well it pairs with the tree and the display, so I do agree they shouldn’t be too attention grabbing, but at the same time, since many of us will not be entering things in the Kokufu. i see nothing wrong with having a little something on the bench that brings a bit of joy every time you look at it.

 

[Maiden69]

Uuuuuu... I love dragons. Is that Ryujin?

 

[Wood]

I’m sure there will be plenty, people find my stuff kinda pricey I apologize for that, but I don’t make these often and they put a big strain on my already damaged hands and eyes.. I tend to only discount items that haven’t sold for a couple shows. But I hope some will be reasonable for folks.

Yo you should absolutely value your time, effort, and skill appropriately. Neither you or Nao shouldn't feel bad about asking for fair compensation for your wares

 

[Gabler]

That is Nao’s philosophy, so we butt heads very much on pricing. The Japanese philosophy is such that many crafts are crafts until the craftsman is so skilled at what they do the work transcends to art, but before then to call it such is pretentious. I don’t churn out my drawings like a crafts person though, each one is a little unique from the last, and when I am comfortable enough I will paint exhibition quality shohin pots.

That is what makes pottery so special and unique from other mediums, it can put on many hats. A humble plain coffee mug, or an art gallery level piece. Bonsai pots straddle that line of function and aesthetic, so I think it is up for interpretation. Ultimately it is about how well it pairs with the tree and the display, so I do agree they shouldn’t be too attention grabbing, but at the same time, since many of us will not be entering things in the Kokufu. i see nothing wrong with having a little something on the bench that brings a bit of joy every time you look at it.

A fair price is whatever your customers are willing to pay. The price is only too high when you can't manage to sell your pots.

We're not talking about a basic necessity here. It might be fair to say the cost of rent is too high, since housing is an absolute necessity, and people will pay anything not to freeze to death.

But bonsai pots are a luxury item. It's the perfect domain in which to ethically play the capitalist game, no oversight or regulations needed.

I probably won't be willing to spend much on a pot any time soon. Factory production pots are fine for me until I have trees good enough for something special. That doesn't mean your prices are too high, provided there's someone else out there who is willing to pay a lot.

 

[Sansokuu]

A fair price is whatever your customers are willing to pay. The price is only too high when you can't manage to sell your pots.

We're not talking about a basic necessity here. It might be fair to say the cost of rent is too high, since housing is an absolute necessity, and people will pay anything not to freeze to death.

But bonsai pots are a luxury item. It's the perfect domain in which to ethically play the capitalist game, no oversight or regulations needed.

I probably won't be willing to spend much on a pot any time soon. Factory production pots are fine for me until I have trees good enough for something special. That doesn't mean your prices are too high, provided there's someone else out there who is willing to pay a lot.

And that’s the thing, I do sell all my pots (minus a very small handful that I think just aesthetically don’t look good so even priced ‘cheap’ no one wants them ).

In my past 20 years experience of selling artwork and pottery at shows, I find there are three types of customers. The first, are bargain hunters - it doesn’t matter who the maker is, if it is cheapcheapcheap these customers love a good deal. The second are customers who like your work, but have a budget in mind. These customers can be nudged in either direction. The third, are customers who *love your work so much* they are willing to pay the price asked because they appreciate it so much and find it worth it because it brings them so much joy and it holds a lot of value to them. I like to price in between the latter two, and I like to offer some smaller things that people can find more affordable too. I also tend to be that third customer, so my wallet has hurt in the past but I really cherish what I have gotten.