Present Day Art Pottery Manufacturers Website

Although many of the great art pottery manufacturers closed their doors years ago, there are some remaining companies that still produce quality pottery pieces today.  The website Art Pottery Manufacturers and Collectors is a great resource for pottery enthusiasts who are interested in finding these active potteries.  Visitors will find links to over 30 different comtemporary pottery companies. 

In addition to the company links, this website provides a comprehensive list of collectors’ groups and museums dedicated to American pottery and ceramics.  There is also a calendar of upcoming events that are held in locations across the country.  Collectors who have events or information to add to the website are encouraged to contact the site's owner Joe Ragosta.

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

Arts and Crafts Chicago Show and Sale

The third annual Arts and Crafts - Chicago antique event will be on May 17 & 18, 2008 at Concordia University’s Geiseman Gym.  The show and sale will feature furniture and accessories from the American and English Arts and Crafts Movements.  Admission to the show is $7, and doors will be open on Saturday from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Sunday from 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

This is a great opportunity for those who are interested in learning more about the Arts and Crafts Movement, those who want to learn how to furnish their turn of the century bungalows, or those experienced collectors who are looking for Arts and Crafts antiques to purchase.

In addition to the show and sale, two Arts and Crafts decorating workshops will be offered on Sunday.

·          Stenciling Your Bungalow: The Essentials of Vintage Art

Amy Miller of Trimbelle River Studio will teach participants about the vintage stenciling found on walls, curtains, and table linens in Arts and Crafts period homes.  This is a hands-on workshop where participants can practice the techniques from Amy’s recent book Stenciling the Arts and Crafts Home.  The workshop will be May 18 from 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM, and the cost is $55.  See Trimbelle River Studios for registration information.

·          Light and Color: The Essentials of the Craftsman Home

Historic Interior Designer Karen L. Hovde will share her expertise on the use of color, light, and texture in Arts and Crafts home décor.  This prestigious designer will help participants choose a Craftsman style color palette for their homes.  Participants can bring pictures of a room in their home, and they will leave with paint chips, fabric, and carpet designs to use in the room.  This interactive workshop will be May 18 from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM, and the cost is $75.  Send an email to karenintvision@gmail.com to register.

Roseville Pottery Wall Pockets - Top 10 Most Sought After

Eileen in CA. is a new Roseville collector and who recently asked "what are most collectible Roseville pottery wall pockets?"  We try to maintain want lists for customers and the most common requests from Roseville pottery collectors has historically been from collectors seeking to complete wall pocket collections.  So in answer to Eileen's question here are our top 10 most sought after Roseville wall pockets.

1. Roseville Tourist
2. Roseville Chloron
3. Roseville Baneda
4. Roseville Sunflower
5. Roseville Velmoss
6. Roseville Ferella
7. Roseville Wisteria
8. Roseville Blackberry
9. Roseville Orian
10. Roseville Pinecone (Bucket)

 

Shop for Roseville Pottery Wall Pockets

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

Iowa Art Pottery Association

Our good friends from the Iowa Art Pottery Association have recently updated their website.  The Iowa Art Pottery Association (IAPA) is dedicated to the education, preservation, appreciation and acquisition of all ceramics both past and present.  IAPA began in August, 1999 when seventeen interested pottery collectors met to discuss the idea of a pottery club. The Association is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the aesthetic appreciation of art pottery.

Meetings are held in Wilton, Iowa which is geographically central to the Association's growing membership of pottery collectors. Members are encouraged to bring a favorite piece of pottery to the meetings for "show and tell". With education as a central focus of the IAPA, programs are presented by speakers who have in-depth knowledge about a particular pottery company or subject.  The Association also produces a quarterly newsletters which feature art pottery articles, insights and event updates.

Upcoming meetings will include discussions on the following topics: 

• August 3, 2008 - Art Pottery Dealer Signs and Advertising Pieces by Dave Johnson
• October 5, 2008 - Ephraim Pottery sponsored by Mark Latta

The Iowa Art Pottery Association welcomes new members who wish to learn about and engage in the enjoyment of art pottery. I can tell you from first hand experience there are some very knowledgeable pottery collectors (including a couple who really helped us when we were just getting started in the business!) involved in IAPA and if you ever have an opportunity to attend a meeting you will not only increase your knowledge of American art pottery but find great fun, fellowship and food!  I hear they have a GREAT potluck after each meeting.

Look here for more information on the Iowa Art Pottery Association.

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

Roseville Pottery Shape Numbers

As we have discussed in previous posts, the bottom marks on Roseville pottery vary over the company's many years of production.  For new collectors the numbers that appear on the bottoms of Roseville pottery often add to the confusion of identifying Roseville pottery patterns.  Shape numbers and sizes were used by Roseville throughout the years of production and were sometimes noted on the bottoms of the pieces even from the earliest days of the pottery. 

For early and middle period Roseville Patterns produced prior to 1936, it is not unusual to find three digit shape numbers in red or black crayon on the bottoms of pieces. Starting in 1936, Roseville began using the die-impressed trademark "Roseville" along with the shape number and size.  Beginning in 1940 the Roseville mark, shape number and size were marked with raised lettering. 

If you have any of the readily available Roseville Pottery reference guides the numbering system allows collectors and dealers to identify a Roseville pattern, size and style of piece (vase, bowl, wall pocket, tea pot, umbrella stand, bookends, basket, jardiniere, window box, etc) simply by knowing the shape and size number without even seeing the piece. 

For the most part, Roseville maintained a consistent shape numbering system that is relatively easy to follow. The marks are typically 2 or 3 digit numbers which indicate the pattern and shape of the piece followed by a dash and a one or two digit number which corresponds to the size of the vase, bowl, etc.

For example, if you have a piece marked "Roseville 35-9"  and you have your handy Roseville reference guide you can quickly identify the piece as a 9" vase from the Roseville Bushberry line.  For unmarked middle period Roseville it is possible to find pieces marked with the shape number in red crayon.  An example of this is shown in the photo to the right. The vase is marked 621 in red crayon. This shape corresponds to a Roseville Cherry Blossom vase. 

A few notes on the size notations for Roseville vases, jardinieres and bowls. A vase will in almost all cases be 1/4" to 1" taller than the shape number would indicate.  For example a Roseville Pine Cone vase shape 747-10 is typically about 10 1/2" tall.   

For Roseville bowls and jardinieres the size measurement is taken from the inside diameter.  For example, a jardiniere marked 657-8 is a Roseville Bushberry jardiniere.  The 657 refers to the shape and pattern, while the 8 indicates it is 8" diameter. The 8" is measured from the inside rim to the opposite inside rim.  Similar to Roseville vases, the inside diameter of an 8" Roseville jardiniere is typically going to be about 8 1/2".  A Roseville console bowl marked 294-12 can be identified as being from the Moss pattern with an inside rim to rim length of just over 12".

Greg Myroth - Shop for Roseville Pottery

Rookwood Pottery - Journal of The American Art Pottery Association

Rookwood Pottery collectors will definitely want to check out the March/April 2008 edition of the Journal of the American Art Pottery Association.  The issue contains over 30 photos of Rookwood painted matte vases and a very interesting article by Kathryn Scott on how she got started collecting Rookwood pottery.

Ms. Scott's article discusses how she ultimately found a focal point for her pottery buying by collecting works decorated by Edward Timothy Hurley.  By developing a comprehensive collection of Hurley decorated Rookwood, she was able to parallel much of the history of Rookwood pottery itself.

There is also a discussion on why she choose to collect Rookwood pottery decorated by E.T. Hurley and how she has attempted to acquire examples from each year as well as vases that were representative of Rookwood many glaze lines. At this time, she is only missing examples from three years in the 1930s.  The article also includes over photos of over 50 Rookwood exampled decorated by Hurley.

Noted author Mark Bassett also provides a book review on Rookwood and the American Indian: Masterpieces of American Art Pottery from the James J. Gardner Collection.  Mark concludes that the book is recommended reading for anyone interested in American history, cultural diversity and for all art pottery lovers.

Just Art Pottery

American Art Pottery Association 2008 Annual Convention

The American Art Association will hold its annual convention April 23-27, 2008 in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Lambertville, New Jersey area.  The convention headquarters will be the Sheraton Bucks County Hotel in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.  Convention activities will include seminar presentations, annual banquet, art pottery auction, two-day pottery show and sale, bus tour, and book signing event. 

One of the highlights of the convention will be the two-day pottery show and sale, featuring dozens of pottery dealers from throughout the US including Just Art Pottery.  The show will be held at the headquarters hotel on Saturday, April 26th and Sunday, April 27th and will feature American and European art pottery and modern studio ceramics.  The show and sale opens to convention registered members for a private viewing and sale on Saturday from 11:00AM to 12:00PM.  The pottery show will be open to the general public from 12:00PM to 5:00PM Saturday and from 11:00AM to 4:00PM Sunday.  If you are able to attend, please stop by and say hello.

The seminars will include an impressive roster of speakers on various American and European art pottery topics.  The Association's annual banquet will be held on the evening of April 23, 2008.  On April 24th a bus tour will focus on the accomplishments of Henry Chapman Mercer.  The Association's auction will be held on Friday evening. 

Various convention packages are available and all events are open to the general public. 

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

Just Art Pottery Site Upgrade

Most of you have probably already seen our recent site upgrade of justartpottery.com. For those of you who haven't visited us recently we invite you to check out our new design.  Below is a screen shot of the new site.  We hope you find the new design cleaner, more visually appealing and better organized.

 

  For comparison purposes, below is a snapshot of the old site. 

Now that this project is finally out of the way, I am hoping to begin resuming regular blog posts. 

We welcome your feedback and suggestions for future site improvements.

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

Grove Park Arts & Crafts Conference 2008

The 21st annual Arts & Crafts Conference will be held at The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa February 22 through 24, 2007.  This nationally recognized arts and crafts event was founded in 1988 by Bruce Johnson. 

The New York Times has referred to the Conference as the most important weekend of the year for Arts & Crafts collectors. The event is a must attend for arts and crafts enthusiasts ranging from new collectors, curators, craftsman, authors, contractors and builders, architects, designers, decorators, and craftsman or bungalow home owners. 

A three-day Arts & Crafts Conference is limited to 1500 people.  A event pass costs $140 per person and provides access to many activities including:

• Conference Seminars including topics such as "The Arts and Crafts style of Ann and Artus Van Briggle" and "Arts & Crafts Movement in the Pacific Northwest";
• Antiques Show;
• Contemporary Craftsfirm Show;
• Books, Magazines & More Show;
• Daily Small Group Discussions;
• Historical walking tours of the Grove Park Inn and Biltmore Industries;
• Daily Demonstrations and Special Events;
• and much more.

The arts & crafts conference's small group discussions are always very popular. This year's topics include discussions on:

• Building an Arts & Crafts Home
• Arts & Crafts Furniture
• Collecting Art Pottery
• Interior Design
• Woodblock Prints
• Trends in Art Pottery
• Fakes & Frauds
• Collecting Roycroft Books
• Art Pottery Glazes
• Restoring Your Bungalow
• Arts & Crafts Metalware
• Arts & Crafts Finishes
• Arts & Crafts Philosophy
• Furniture Design & Construction
• Arts & Crafts Tiles
• Craftsman Homes
• and much more.

Greg Myroth - Arts and Crafts Pottery

Antiques Roadshow 2008 Schedule & Website Update

The PBS appraisal program Antiques Roadshow has announced its 2008 schedule.  Dates and locations for the remaining 15 new episodes include:

• January 28, February 4 & 11 in Orlando, Florida
• February 18, 25 and March 24 in San Antonio, Texas
• March 31, April 7 and 14 in Spokane Washington
• April 21, 28 and May 5 in Louisville, Kentucky
• May 12, 19 and 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada

The Roadshow has also updated its website and now includes features that are available only online. These include Roadshow Archive which will house every appraisal broadcast on the show and a variety of articles on antiques and collectibles.  While there isn't a whole lot on art pottery, I did come across interesting articles on North Dakota School of Mines Pottery and Overbeck Pottery. 

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery