Modern Day Pottery Masters, Part 3

If you're looking for potteries that still produce quality, hand-crafted pieces, you're in luck.  There are several potters who create contemporary works of art that remind us of the masterpieces from the turn of the twentieth century.  Hog Hill Pottery and Common Ground Pottery are two more contemporary studio potters that offer vases, tiles, bowls, and more in the Arts and Crafts style.

Hog Hill Pottery

This North Carolina studio is where John and Scottie Post create their handcrafted pottery.  The Posts, who have over 30 years of pottery experience between them, make decorative and functional stoneware that is inspired by the motifs of the Arts and Crafts movement. 

Much like the Natzlers of the mid century studio pottery era, the Posts works together to produce original works of art.  John's throwing and firing skills combined with Scottie's design and glazing expertise results in pieces that are truly reminiscent of the original American Art Pottery.

The Posts' style isn't limited to Arts and Crafts, however.  They offer a line of folk art items, including jugs, chicken waterers, and rooster bookends.  Their catalog also contains a selection of samples that were created with the Spanish/Moorish cuerda seca technique.  Hog Hill pieces can be purchased at one of the many Arts and Crafts shows that the Posts attend.  We also usually have a few examples of Hog Hill available through Just Art Pottery. 

Common Ground Pottery

Eric Olson discovered his love for pottery on the first night of the wheel pottery class he took in 1994.  He sold his greenhouse business and opened Common Ground Pottery in a spare room of his house shortly after.  Olson has been experimenting with glazes and surface decorations ever since, resulting in unique art pottery that has become popular with collectors.

Common Ground Pottery's online gallery includes vases, chargers, tiles, and jewel boxes with colored glass inside.  His designs are intricately detailed with elements from all aspects of nature.  Some have repeating floral patterns, and others feature animals and insects.  Whether he uses calla lilies, mushrooms, beetles, or butterflies, the overall effect is stunning.

Eric Olson's studio is located in Wisconsin, but collectors can purchase Common Ground Pottery from the website.  Olson also travels to select Arts and Crafts shows including the Grove Park Arts and Crafts Show every February and the Wisconsin Pottery Show every August.

Just Art Pottery

Wisconsin Pottery Show 2008

The Wisconsin Pottery Association will conduct its 13th annual Pottery Show and Sale this Saturday August 23, 2008 from 9:00AM until 4:00PM at the Exhibit Hall at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, Wisconsin. 

The show is a great time and is always filled with active pottery collectors and dealers.  One of the nice things about this show is that there is something for every level of collector.  Entry level or budgetary conscious collectors can find moderated priced examples of pottery such as Haegar, McCoy, Red Wing, Roseville and many others.  More advanced pottery collectors will be able to find higher end Rookwood, Roseville, Weller, Grueby, Teco, Newcomb, Fulper, Van Briggle, Norse, Marblehead and much more.  The show also always includes a nice selection of contemporary pottery from makers such as Common Ground, Door and Ephraim Pottery.

Buyers can expect to browse pottery and dinnerware from the 1880s to the present.  Styles displayed and offered for sale will include Art Deco, Arts and Crafts, Mid-Century Modern and Art Nouveau.

In addition to the Pottery Show and Sale, the Association also puts on an annual exhibit.  The 2008 exhibit is titled Pauline and the Pottery of Edgerton, Wisconsin.  The exhibit will include a wide selection of pottery from the Edgerton area including Pauline Pottery, American Clay Works, Edgerton Pottery Company, Rock Pottery, Pickard China, Edgerton Art Clay Works and Norse Pottery.

Previous years exhibits have included topics such as:

• Fulper, Clifton & More The Art Pottery of New Jersey
• Art Deco and Modern Style Ceramics 1910-1940
• The Mission Style: How the Arts & Crafts Movement Influenced American Pottery 1900-1920
• The French Connection: Impressionism in French and American Pottery 1873-1900
• Roseville America's Decorative Art Pottery
• Haeger:  The Early And The Extraordinary

Other popular features of the show include What is it?  Collectors can bring up to two mystery pots for potential identification and evaluation. 

If you get a chance to attend the show, please stop by and and say hi to Lana and I.  We will be bringing a nice selection of Roseville, Weller, Rookwood, a few pieces of Newcomb from a small collection, Van Briggle from a large estate collection and many other items.  If there is something of interest in our inventory that you would like to see at the show drop us an email or give us a call. 

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery

Teco Art Pottery Collection 2008

Just Art Pottery is pleased to announce we are now taking preorders for the 2008 modern Teco Art Pottery Collection™ .  The modern Teco collection is a line of high quality reproductions that maintains the integrity of original, antique Teco Pottery.  The 2008 collection makes a great compliment to the seven vases offered in the inital 2007 modern Teco Art Pottery Collection™.

Each piece from the Teco Art Pottery Collection is produced in the United States.  Each of the vases in the Collection is hallmarked with the company logo as a guarantee of quality and authenticity and to ensure no confusion with original, antique Teco Pottery.  The 2008 offering of the Teco Art Pottery Collection™ includes the following five vases and is offered in the seven colors shown.  New colors for 2008 include aqua and orange.

2008 Modern Teco Art Pottery Collection (From Left to Right)

Teco Art Pottery Collection™ Prairie Matte Green Vase

Teco Art Pottery Collection™ Pogoda Matte Green Vase

Teco Art Pottery Collection™ Zen Green Floor Vase

Teco Art Pottery Collection™ Genie Green Vase

Teco Art Pottery Collection™ Apollo Green Vase

Place your order now for shipment in late September 2008.

Just Art Pottery

Help Identifying A Mystery Piece of Pottery

A good friend sent the vase shown in the photos asking for our help in identifying the maker.  When he sent it to us, he thought it was Hampshire Pottery which I know it isn't. 

Unfortunately I have no idea who made the piece.  I was thinking it may  be an European pot but that is a guess on my part.  I suspect one of our knowledgable readers will be able to positively identify the maker of this attractive arts and crafts style vase.  I would appreciate your assistance on this one!

Greg Myroth

Newcomb Pottery Clay Bodies and Glaze Marks

We had a question from a reader regarding the meaning of the various letter marks (B's and C's) not related to registration numbers or date marks found on the bottoms of some transitional period (1910-1915) examples of Newcomb Pottery. Examples of these bottom marks from two Newcomb vases are shown in the photos. 

Accordingly the Walter Bob's research, which is fully documented in Jessie Poesch's Newcomb Pottery & Crafts, the B or B in a circle mark represents a buff clay body with a semi-matte glaze. This mark was typically used between 1910 and 1912.  Between 1913 and 1915 the clay body and glaze mark was changed to a C or C within a circle. 

Between 1895 and 1907, there were several other letter designations used by Newcomb Pottery to identify clay bodies.  Poesch's Newcomb Pottery & Crafts book provides a full description of the years of use for each of these clay bodies and glaze marks on Newcomb Pottery. 

Just Art Pottery

Modern Day Pottery Masters, Part 2

In an earlier post, we told you about two contemporary potteries that produce top quality art pottery pieces.  Scott Draves and Chris Powell aren't the only artists creating modern day masterpieces, though.  There are many other potteries producing gorgeous art pottery examples that are already highly collectible.   

Ephraim Faience Pottery

Ephraim Faience is another pottery that was born out of the desire to replicate the style of the American Arts and Crafts movement.  It was originally founded in Deerfield, Wisconsin by Scott Draves and Kevin Hicks, but Draves left in 2001 to open Door Pottery.  Kevin Hicks continued to pursue his dream of creating forms and sculpted effects like the potters of the early 20th century. 

Hicks and his staff create original, handmade pottery pieces that fit perfectly with the aesthetics of the Arts and Crafts style.  Ephraim's bold decorations are natured-inspired, sometimes even featuring animal motifs.  The Ephraim studio celebrates each designer and artist on the team, and you can read a short biography of each one on the company's website.  This adds a personal quality to their work and makes you feel like part of the family when you buy a piece of EFP art pottery.

Jemerick Art Pottery

Steve Frederick and Cherie Jemsek are the artists behind Jemerick Pottery.  Steve has worked with pottery since 1973, where he studied at the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Deer Isle, Maine.  He produced work in a variety of styles until a friend introduced him to the Arts and Crafts style in 1997.  His work has reflected the ideals of the Arts and Crafts movement ever since. 

Cherie joined Steve's pottery in 1976.  She sculpts repetitive leaf and floral patterns on the pieces after Steve throws the basic forms on the wheel.  Cherie's one-of-a-kind style is based on Arts and Crafts, but the sculpted elements are often unique in their exaggeration.  No matter how original they are, however, all Jemerick forms and decorations are rooted in the Arts and Crafts ideals of simplicity and honesty.   

Because their high quality artwork and limited production pieces, Jemerick pottery is sought after by collectors.  Jemerick Art Pottery is located in Saugerties, New York.

Just Art Pottery

The 22nd Annual Grove Park Inn Arts and Crafts Conference

   

It's time once again to start planning for the Annual Arts and Crafts Conference held at the historic Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa in Asheville, North Carolina.  The 2009 event will be February 20-22.  This is a unique opportunity for Arts and Crafts collectors and enthusiasts to add to their collections, meet the experts, and learn more about the style. 

The Grove Park Inn itself is a work of art and a piece of early 20th century history.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this 95 year old inn has hosted F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and a president or two.  Visitors can still enjoy the same Hickory rockers and Roycroft chandeliers that these prestigious guests experienced in another century.  With one of the largest collections of Arts and Crafts furniture in the world, Grove Park's ambiance makes it the perfect setting for the Annual Arts and Crafts Conference.

The $145 Conference Events Passes allow participants to attend the majority of the shows, exhibits, seminars, discussions, and demonstrations.  Registering for the conference and purchasing a pass is the best way to get the most out of the experience.  General admission to the Arts and Crafts Antiques Show, Contemporary Craftsfirms Show, and Books, Magazines, and More Show is $10 for non-registered guests.

There will be a variety of hands-on workshops for those who register early enough.  The class fees are not covered by the conference passes.  This year's workshops will be:

• Make Your Own Block Print Cards - with artist Laura Wilder
• Basic Arts & Crafts Embroidery - with Ann Chaves
• Stenciling Your Bungalow in a Material World - with author and artist Amy Miller
• Techniques for Matting Artwork - with Peggy Hester
• The Basics of Arts & Crafts Metalsmithing - with master artisan Ron VanOstrand
• Introduction to Stains & Dyes - with expert restorer Dennis Bertucci
• Duplicating an Arts & Crafts Finish - with expert restorer Dennis Bertucci
• Decorating an Arts & Crafts Tile - with potter and designer Peg Morar
• Decorating an Arts & Crafts Vase  - with potter and designer Peg Morar

Small group discussions are some of the most popular events of the conference.  These informal sessions are led by volunteers and provide participants the opportunity to ask questions and share information.  Discussion topics include:

• 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
• Color Selection
• Arts & Crafts Metalware
• Arts & Crafts Finishes
• Getting Published
• Landscaping
• Arts & Crafts Philosophy
• Working with an Architect
• Furniture Design & Construction
• Arts & Crafts Tiles
• Craftsman Homes

Conference registration is limited to 1500 people, and many collectors register several months in advance.  Most participants who wish to stay at the Grove Park Inn during the conference make their reservations a year in advance, but there are occasional cancellations closer to the event date.  There are several other lodging options for those who are not able to stay at Grove Park.

For more information or to register for the conference, contact Bruce Johnson, the conference founder and director, at  BJ1915@charter.net or (828) 628-1915.

Anniversary Gifts for Pottery Lovers

Summer is wedding season, and that means many of us will be celebrating wedding anniversaries in the coming months.  No matter what month your anniversary is, though, it's never easy to find just the right gift.  You want something unique, but not odd.  Original, but not useless.  And, of course, it has to be romantic.

The obvious answer is flowers.  Flowers have long been the ultimate expression of love and affection.  In fact, they've been an anniversary icon for so long that they've become a little predictable...unless you think outside the box.  Flowers in a vase are nice, but flowers on a vase are even better.   

Art pottery is inspired by nature, and many of the decorative themes are floral.  Your local florist may not have a fresh supply of clematis on hand to help you celebrate your 8th wedding anniversary, but you can easily find a Roseville Pottery piece that is beautifully decorated with this versatile flower.  Or how about an iris decorated piece by Rookwood Pottery for your 25th?  From Weller's nasturtium designs to McCoy's white lily bud vases, there is an art pottery piece for every anniversary.

Here's a list of traditional anniversary flowers, just in case you don't have them memorized.

• 1st Wedding Anniversary - Pansy
• 2nd Wedding Anniversary - Cosmos
• 3rd Wedding Anniversary - Fuchsia
• 4th Wedding Anniversary - Geranium
• 5th Wedding Anniversary - Daisy
• 6th Wedding Anniversary - Calla Lily
• 7th Wedding Anniversary - Jack-in-the-Pulpit
• 8th Wedding Anniversary - Clematis
• 9th Wedding Anniversary - Poppy
• 10th Wedding Anniversary - Daffodil
• 11th Wedding Anniversary - Morning Glory
• 12th Wedding Anniversary - Peony
• 13th Wedding Anniversary - Hollyhock
• 14th Wedding Anniversary - Dahlia
• 15th Wedding Anniversary - Rose
• 20th Wedding Anniversary - Day Lily
• 25th Wedding Anniversary - Iris
• 28th Wedding Anniversary - Orchid
• 30th Wedding Anniversary - Sweet Pea
• 40th Wedding Anniversary - Nasturtium
• 50th Wedding Anniversary - Violet

For extra brownie points, try placing an arrangement of anniversary flowers in an arts and crafts vase decorated with the same theme.   A Weller Eocean vase brimming with pansies.  A Roseville Pottery basket full of cosmos.  There's no better way to say I Love You!

Just Art Pottery

Modern Day Art Pottery Masters

Think the American Arts and Crafts movement is history?  Think again.  It may be the 21st century, but there are still artists who create beautiful art pottery pieces in the style of the early 1900s.  The simple elegance of Arts and Crafts style has inspired a new generation of potters a hundred years later.  Many contemporary potters are using the clean lines, nature themes, and custom glazes that are reminiscent of a bygone era. 

The old art pottery masters left very few records about their methods, and many of their techniques died with them.  It is up to the modern day artists to experiment with forms, details, and glazes to create their own style.  Most of the contemporary artists use the antique masterpieces as inspiration, not as objects to be copied.  The result is a fresh supply of modern masterpieces that have their own, unique qualities, but still remind us of the art pottery from another time.

If you're a collector or art pottery enthusiast looking to establish a stronger Arts and Crafts feel in your home decor, adding some of the new pieces in with the old is a great way to do that.  Investing in contemporary art pottery is also an investment in future collectible art.  Discontinued Door and Ephraim pieces, for example, often sell for multiple times their retail prices when they return to the secondary market via auction or pottery shows.

Of course, the modern day art pottery masters are not limited to the Arts and Crafts style.  In the coming weeks, we'll introduce you to a several potters that produce high quality art pottery in a variety of styles.  Keep checking back to find out about more contemporary art potters like these:

Door Pottery

Scott Draves opened Door Pottery in 2001. Three years later, he moved his studio into the old Lakeside  Pottery facility in Madison, Wisconsin.  He wanted to get back to the roots of the Arts and Crafts movement, which put more emphasis on creativity and handmade quality than on production.  He has become well-known for his unique forms and stunning, handmade glazes.  Scott currently employs a small staff of artists who hand make each Door Pottery piece and teach the Arts and Crafts style to students.  Door pieces are made to order and ship within four to six weeks of ordering.  Just Art Pottery always maintains a variety of Door Pottery in stock including many hard to find and one of a kind experimentals, trials, and limited production pieces. 

Chris Powell Pottery

Chris Powell's interest in Arts and Crafts style pottery began in college when he saw an exhibit of Teco pottery.  He was inspired by the variety of glazes and the elegant simplicity of the forms.  Chris worked as a production potter until 1994, when he opened his own studio in Westerville, Ohio.   He does the throwing, decorating, glazing, and firing of each piece C. Powell Pottery.  He also creates all of his own forms and glazes.  Chris's work has elements of Art Nouveau and Art Deco in addition to Arts and Crafts. 

Ephraim Pottery Collectors Society - First Annual Convention

The Ephraim Pottery Collectors Society is hosting the First Annual Ephraim Pottery Convention on June 20- 21, 2008 at the Sheraton Hotel in Madison, Wisconsin.  The convention is open to the Ephraim Pottery Collectors Society Membership only. The Society is dedicated to the collection and preservation of Ephraim Faience Pottery.  Specific Society goals include researching the history of the pottery, facilitating the sharing of information about the pottery, establishing a network of collectors, and encouraging the buying and selling of Ephraim Pottery. 

The convention will feature seminars by Kevin Hicks, owner and founder of Ephraim, as well as other notable Ephraim employees and collectors.  The convention will also offer the opportunity to purchase Ephraim Pottery.  There is a full schedule of events for the convention at the Society's website. 

Greg Myroth - Just Art Pottery