It is our tradition at Ephraim Pottery for artists to commemorate a milestone at the studio with a special design. Celebrating their anniversaries this year are Leah Purisch, 5 years; Becky Hansen, 10 years; John Raymond, 15 years; and Kevin Hicks, 20 years.
Ephraim Pottery is defined by the sensibilities and honed techniques of each of our members. It is a beautiful—and novel—model for an art pottery, as both new and veteran artists exert a symbiotic influence on one another. We grow and evolve through our collaborations; building and refining our common aesthetic to create innovative, fresh artwork.
Leah Purisch
Little did Leah know that her early years growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio would provide a great foundation for the path that lay ahead. Cincinnati—the hometown of the historic Rookwood Pottery—provided a catalyst for Leah’s later interest in art pottery. Leah’s circuitous path to Ephraim began with a childhood interest in art, followed by a BAand MA in Art History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After college Leah focused on oil painting and a display of her portrait work caught Kevin’s attention in a local Lake Mills art gallery. A short time later, a chance meeting brought her to the pottery and that connection sparked an idea for a new kind of collaboration for Leah and Ephraim.
Without any ceramic experience, Leah and Kevin undertook this collaboration tentatively and with an open mind. In short order, Leah’s amiable spirit, artistic skills, and passion for design work made her fit right in. Her affinity for historic art styles and practices, specifically her quest to design scenic vases, has contributed to many new avenues of artistic exploration for Ephraim in the five years since she joined the studio. Today her low relief, painterly style is instantly recognizable and widely admired by our collectors. In the studio Leah is a dynamic force of creative energy, supportively inspiring others to dream, play and experiment—to push past perceived boundaries and freely explore their artistic expression.
Provence Cypress Vase $448
Becky Hansen
A required art credit for a business degree changed the trajectory of Becky Hansen’s life. This ceramics class ignited an interest in pottery that began as a hobby but eventually grew into Becky’s career at Ephraim. While living in Colorado Becky took a summer job throwing demonstration pots for Van Briggle Pottery, which later turned into a full-time position. There Becky gained experience in many realms of pottery making—throwing, glazing, slip casting, pressing tile, and making clay. As she became more involved in the small world of art pottery, Becky began hearing about Ephraim’s model of employing artists to work together hand throwing and sculpting pottery. Our studio appealed to her sensibilities—she liked the concept of more people involved in the design processes as well as the idea of creating new designs versus reproductions. Becky reached out to Kevin and the rest is history.
Becky is a steady and positive force in the studio. Her fun sense of humor and sincere, kind demeanor make our little pottery a happy place to be. Becky’s innovations and artistry in the glazing department have brought us popular glaze combinations such as ‘light stone,’ ‘dusky olive’, ‘autumn reflections,’ and ‘glacial.’ Becky has also designed and sculpted several Studio Collection pieces over the years, including “Maybells” and the “Oak Cabinet Vase”. As Becky rounds out her first ten years at Ephraim, we are so pleased that she found our studio and intrigued by the possibilities of what she will come up with next.
Fuchsia Vase $328
John Raymond
Fifteen years ago John came to the fledgling Ephraim Pottery in a leap of faith. As Ephraim grew from a very small studio to a bigger operation, the pottery needed a knowledgeable studio foreman to manage everything from glazes to kiln firings, and Kevin knew no one was better suited than John for this job. Tinkering, repairing, repurposing came naturally to John—even as a small child he remembers fixing lamps and other household items for his parents. To Ephraim’s good fortune, John took a chance with us and his hard work and ingenuity have contributed immensely to the studio’s success.
John has an MFA from The Art Institute of Chicago and has spent most of his career in the ceramic field. Three years ago, in support of John’s passion for woodworking, Ephraim branched out with him to establish a wood shop and offer handmade wood items to our customers. The change from ceramic to wood was a seamless endeavor because the central feature of John’s art is craftsmanship. His meticulous and uncompromising sensibilities enable him to create beautiful wood objects made with the very highest standards.
John carries his adherence to craftsmanship through every aspect of his life and work. His devotion to excellence can be seen in the smallest details—from the tools that he creates for the pottery to the guides that he makes for his wood shop to the sketches and architectural drawings used to track his ideas. Ultimately these objects reflect a sense of caring—a conscientiousness about himself and his surroundings—about life in general.
American Craftsman Wall Shelf $350
Kevin Hicks
Kevin had always been drawn to the art room in school—a space where artists worked side-by-side and naturally collaborated. That clubhouse atmosphere inspired him to create a ceramic studio where craftspeople had input into the artistic side of the products.
Twenty years ago Kevin Hicks founded Ephraim Pottery. Here he sought to merge the traditional production pottery studio model of the past with the modern autonomy of the individual artist. The result has been a unique hybrid—a place where ideas are shared, gathered and developed as a group.
Above all Kevin enjoys the process of making things by hand. The first time Kevin watched an artist throw a pot on the wheel he felt transcended and that ignited a fierce desire to learn more. Nearly every day of the week—including weekends—you’ll find Kevin creating at the studio where his focus is on pioneering new techniques for throwing and sculpting vases. He thrives on engineering ways to throw bigger and more complex pieces.
His determination has translated into mastery. Today he is a captivating thrower to observe, a veteran himself, inspiring a new generation of potters. After over 30 years of throwing Kevin still asserts that “Ceramics is a never-ending source of inspiration. The more I work in ceramics the more ideas flourish.”
Kevin wants every piece that comes out of the studio to display the hand of the maker. His affinity for a handmade aesthetic drives him to lean away from technologies that remove the artist’s hands from the work. Twenty years in business—no small feat for an art studio—reinforces that Kevin’s unifying vision to facilitate humble collaboration among artists and elevate a handmade aesthetic is a recipe for success.
Anniversary Rose Vase – shown with the Noble Dragonfly Vase & Revival Rose Vase $448