How We Make Our Pottery

"Thanks to Ephraim Faience for continuing to make fine pottery in the unequaled American crafting tradition. The global economy can take our jobs, our real estate, and everything else - except for our talent. Talent is something that belongs to an individual and is, by his or her choice, shared with others."

B.B., Chicago, Illinois, via email

True to the legacy of the historic Arts and Crafts movement, each piece of Ephraim Faience pottery is made completely by hand. In their small studio in Lake Mills, Wisconsin, Ephraim's artists employ a unique collaborative process to design and create each piece. The potters use earthenware and stoneware clays from the Midwest to throw and sculpt the forms. The decorators formulate and mix the glazes and apply them to the forms. This hands-on collaborative process results in art pottery of a uniformly superior quality and has made Ephraim Faience Pottery the leading art pottery of the Arts and Crafts Revival.


Laura and Eric discuss how to achieve
the desired glaze effects on a piece Laura designed

All of our pieces are created entirely by hand. The potter works the clay on a wheel, "throwing" it into the desired form. The thrown, wet piece is referred to as "green ware." The Ephraim Faience Pottery mark is applied to the foot (bottom) of the thrown clay form, which is then left to dry. When the piece is firm enough to handle without collapsing, any decoration is sculpted onto the piece. After the sculpting is complete, the piece must then dry completely before it can be fired. Drying usually takes from three to ten days, depending on the size of the piece, the clay used, and the climatic conditions in the studio.


Paul throwing an extra-tall piece

When the piece is bone dry, it undergoes the bisque firing, after which it is hard and is ready to be decorated. The decorator applies the glazes, and the piece is fired again. Some pieces are glazed twice and require two glaze firings. After firing, the foot is ground to remove excess glaze. In most cases, the entire process takes three to four weeks, if no problems, such as cracking or breaking, occur along the way. The results of this labor-intensive process are the unique and stunning pieces shown in our catalog.

Inspiration for new pottery designs come from many places. Common sources of inspiration include the fields and marshes around our studio, our own backyards, pictures in books, the flora and fauna of the places we travel to, old Arts and Crafts pottery, and bungalow and Prairie-style architecture. The pottery is a very creative place, and there is no shortage of new ideas.

The potters try to work some time for experimentation  into their schedules each week. After those experimental pieces have been bisque fired, then it's the glazers' turn to "play," trying out new glazes and glazing techniques. Only the pieces that can be reproduced consistently will make it into our catalog.


Some sources of inspiration for pottery designs

 
   

Ephraim Faience Pottery
203 West Lake Street, Lake Mills, Wisconsin 53551
Tel 920-648-5269  Toll Free 1-888-704-POTS (7687)
Fax 920-648-5357

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