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

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

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

The Art Pottery of Gertrude and Otto Natzler

The husband and wife team of Gertrud and Otto Natzler created extraordinary pottery pieces from the late 1930s until Gertrud's death in 1971.  Gertrud threw the clay and crafted it into perfectly proportioned, simple forms.  Otto experimented with different glazing techniques and discovered rich, luminous glazes that set Natzler Pottery apart from the rest.  Otto developed over 1000 glazes before his death at age 99.  Gertrud and Otto's pottery had numerous American, European, and international exhibitions in just their first few years together.  Today, their exquisite work can be found in over 50 museum collections around the world, including such prestigious places as the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

This couple's story is as interesting as the pottery they produced together.  They were both born in Vienna, Austria in 1908.  Each of them had ceramics experience before they met.  But the combination of her imaginative design and his talent with glazes resulted in a product much more stunning than they could create separately.  March 11, 1938 was a turning point for Otto and Gertrud.  That morning they received a letter telling them they had been awarded the silver medal at the Paris International Exposition, and that afternoon the Nazis invaded Austria.  Later that year, they married and fled to California.  Gertrud's potter's wheel and Otto's small electric kiln were among the belongings that were shipped to them from Vienna.  The Natzlers opened their first workshop in Los Angeles and began making the pottery that would become their legacy.

The Natzlers' mid-century American art pottery is highly collectible today and often goes for record amounts at auction.  When a collection of 9 pieces of Natzler was featured on a 2008 episode of Antiques Road Show, it's appraised value was between $44,500 and $68,500.  A Natzler piece is a valuable part of any California or American studio ceramics collection.

Just Art Pottery

Modern Teco Art Pottery Collection

We have received a lot of questions regarding the modern Teco Art Pottery Collection that we are starting to carry on Just Art Pottery.  This past weekend I had the opportunity to see some of the first examples from the collection and must say they are very high quality.  In terms of size, shape, color and glaze they are very close to original Teco Pottery.  The matte green glaze was high quality as I expected.  However, the brown, blue and yellow glazes are particularly appealing.  The modern Teco is also very clearly marked such that there can be no confusion with original, antique Teco pottery. 

We anticipate having inventory available to ship to customers within the next 2 to 3 weeks. 

Greg Myroth

Teco Art Pottery Collection - Modern Design Classics

Just Art Pottery is pleased to announce we are now taking preorders for the soon to be released 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. 

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 initial offering of the Teco Art Pottery Collection includes the following seven vases. 

Modern Teco Art Pottery Collection (From Left to Right)

1. Teco Art Pottery Collection 4 1/2" Kiss Vase  $45.00
2. Teco Art Pottery 6 1/2" Two-Handled Buttress Vase $50.00
3. Teco Art Pottery Collection 8" Orb Vase $75.00
4. Teco Art Pottery Collection 13" Double Gourd Vase $165.00
5. Teco Art Pottery Collection 16" Classic Floor Vase $115.00
6. Teco Art Pottery Collection 10 1/2" 4 Buttress Vase $95.00
7. Teco Art Pottery Collection 8 1/2" Rocket Vase $60.00

Each modern Teco Art Pottery Collection vase is available in the following colors:

• Teco green
• Teco blue
• Teco yellow
• Dark Brown
• White
• Natural

Place your order now for shipment in mid August 2007.

Greg Myroth - Shop Teco Art Pottery Collection

Pillin Pottery

The ceramics produced by Polia Pillin continue to gain increasing interest from mid century modern art pottery collectors. In the years since Polia’s death, her art pottery has appreciated significantly in value. Pillin’s work is often decorated with abstract figures of women, birds, trees, fish, horses, and related characters. Pillin’s undecorated examples often exhibit striking and complex glazes.

Polia Pillin perfected the technique of painting on wet clay with colored clays. After decorating each pot, the pottery was fired then covered with transparent glaze and re-fired. The end result was abstract art on a piece of pottery with a luminous, glass like finish that is unmistakably recognizable.

Polia Pillin was born in Poland in 1909. She came to America in 1924 and settled in Chicago. While in Chicago, Polia studied painting and sculpture. In the late 1920s, Polia married William Pillin.

Polia gained an interest in decorating ceramics in the 1930s and produced her first art pottery in the early 1940s. Pillin first work at Hull House but moved her studio to her Chicago apartment in 1946. In 1948, William and Polia moved to Los Angeles. Initially Polia worked out of a small studio set up at the Pillin’s home. As interest and demand for Pillin Pottery increased, the family moved to a larger location.

William Pillin worked closely with Polia in the production of art pottery. William assisted Polia by throwing and firing pottery and assisting with the development of glazes.

William was also a recognized poet; publishing nine collections of poetry in his lifetime. William passed away in 1985. Polia passed away 1992.

Pillin pottery is typically marked Pillin in stylized letters. Pieces thrown and glazed by William are marked W+P.

Shop for Pillin Pottery

Greg Myroth