Reserve & Limited Editions Archives

Posted on February 9, 2018

Creative Process: Making Miniatures

A History of Making Miniatures

Before Ephraim Pottery, potters Kevin Hicks and Ken Nekola, made miniature pottery as part of their work at Rowe Pottery. Rowe had a line of miniatures and sold doll tea sets to the Pleasant Company (American Girl Doll). Miniature-making required a special skill set and when it came time for Hicks to start Ephraim Pottery, he earned extra money working as an independent potter for the “Miniature Pottery” in Edgerton, WI.

Ornaments lead to Miniatures

Hicks’ and Nekola’s experience making miniatures eventually translated into hand-thrown ornaments at Ephraim. The ornaments, in turn, led to occasional experimentation with one-of-a-kind miniature vases. The finely-wrought details and demands in firing present a unique challenge that has taken the studio years to overcome. To date Ephraim has only managed to offer three miniature designs in short-run, limited-editions – all in the last 5 or 6 years.

Little Details make Divine Miniatures

This year, thanks to our master kiln-loader, Alek Schroeder, the fine motor sculpting skills of Ken Nekola and Laura Klein, and the amazing attention to detail and quality of our glazers, Jennifer Alexander, Becky Hansen, and Allison Jelenchick we are able to present you with three miniature designs in multiple glazing options. We are especially proud of the intricate details encompassed in this collection and hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Four new limited edition Miniature New Frond Vases from Ephraim Pottery — Limited Edition – Miniature New Frond Vase, $148 each or $542 for the Collection of 4. Organic Green, Pacific Batik, Algae & Autumn Reflections.

Limited Edition – Miniature New Frond Vase. Thrown and sculpted by Ken Nekola. Glazed by Allison Jelenchick and Jill Winslow.

Five new limited-edition Miniature Dancing Dragonflies Bowl from Ephraim Pottery — Limited Edition – Miniature Dancing Dragonflies Bowl, $168 each or $790 for the Collection of 5. Algae, Teal, Leaf Green, Pacific Batik & Autumn Wheat.

Limited Edition – Miniature Dancing Dragonflies Bowl. Thrown and sculpted by Ken Nekola. Glazed by Becky Hansen.

New limited-edition Miniature Sweet Magnolia Vase from Ephraim Pottery — Limited Edition – Miniature Sweet Magnolia Vase, $178

Limited Edition – Miniature Sweet Magnolia Vase. Thrown and sculpted by Kevin Hicks. Glazed by Jennifer Alexander.

Posted on November 17, 2017

2017 Winter Collection – Limited Edition Designs + Winter Holiday Series

Introducing the 2017 Winter Collection. May these colorful designs brighten your home during this spirited season and bring you years of delight. We offer our sincere gratitude and holiday cheer for your loyalty and goodwill throughout the year.

This year’s Winter Holiday Series – Lyrical Poinsettia Vase – will be available until all 85 of the numbered edition pieces are ordered. The rest of the Winter Collection will be available in our galleries, online, or by phone 888.704.7687 through Dec 15.

Winter Design Series – Lyrical Poinsettia Vase. Thrown and sculpted by Kevin Hicks. Glazed by Jennifer Alexander.

Limited Edition – Snowy Birch Ornament. Thrown and sculpted by Ken Nekola. Glazed by Leah Purisch.

Limited Edition – Tree Hopper Ornament. Thrown by Kevin Hicks, sculpted by Laura Klein and glazed by Becky Hansen.

Limited Edition – Hidden Garden Ornament. Thrown and sculpted by Ken Nekola. Glazed by Becky Hansen and Jennifer Alexander.

Limited Edition – Dashing Through the Snow Tile. Pressed by Leah Purisch and Kevin Hicks. Glazed by Jill Winslow.

Limited Edition – Winter Bouquet Vase. Thrown by Alek Schroeder, sculpted by Laura Klein and glazed by Becky Hansen.

Posted on September 13, 2017 September 13, 2017

2017 Fall Collection – Limited Edition Designs

As the days shorten and shadows lengthen we see with fading light just how fascinating our little blue planet can be. From Twilight’s glow the 2017 Fall Collection reveals the stunning natural wonders, quaint creatures, and fairytale features of fall – the wildest season of the all. The Fall Collection will be available through September only.

Victory Falls – Limited Edition. Thrown & sculpted by Kevin Hicks. Glazed by Becky Hansen.

Honey Bear Chamberstick – Limited Edition. Thrown by Kevin Hicks, sculpted by Laura Klein and glazed by Allison Jelenchick.

Bat & Moonflower Vase – Limited Edition. Thrown by Alek Schroeder, sculpted by Laura Klein and glazed by Jennifer Alexander.

Cinderella Pumpkin – Limited Edition. Thrown by Kevin Hicks, sculpted by Laura Klein and glazed by Allison Jellenchick.

Silverwing Tile – Limited Edition. Designed, pressed and glazed by Leah Purisch.

Posted on September 8, 2017 September 8, 2017

In the making – “Victory Falls”

A Reverence for the Past

“Victory Falls” is an awe-inspiring feat of ceramic art. At Ephraim Pottery we have great reverence for the past masters and have drawn so much inspiration from their art pottery. In this piece, Grueby and Teco Pottery were both influential. Artist, Kevin Hicks, appreciated Teco’s beautifully complex, double-walled designs – so ambitious they required molds and slip-casting. Similarly, the hand-thrown and organic nature of Grueby’s pottery has always been an important source of inspiration for Hicks. He wanted to merge hand-thrown pottery with the complexity of Teco’s slip cast pottery. The result is wonderfully intriguing. We are happy to share with you the creative journey of this pivotal piece.

Artist Kevin Hicks throwing the upper double-walled section of the vase on the potter’s wheel.

A Process that Requires Skill

Without any straightforward instruction from books or other potters of the past, Hicks spent six-plus months of trial and error in different methods and materials to create Victory Falls. Two thrown parts must come together with an exactly equal diameter to make this piece. Hicks throws and scores the bottom of the upper, double-walled portion of the vase. He sets this first piece aside and carefully throws the lower form. Hicks delicately connects the two parts, finessing them on the potter’s wheel to join them seamlessly as one piece.

Artist Kevin Hicks throwing the lower section of the vase and attaching the upper double-walled section to blend into a single seamless form.

Sculpting & Carving: Finishing of the Form

After the form dries to leather hard, Hicks intricately carves into the form and applies the sculptural details of the bridge, rocks and water.

Kevin Hicks sculpting “Victory Falls” – Limited Edition Fall Collection.

Collaboration of Glaze and Gravity

Once the form is fully dry it goes to the kiln for the bisque firing. Our master glazer, Becky Hansen, then applies the glaze – utilizing pouring, spraying and hand-brushing techniques – to finish the form and create the illusion of moving water with flowing glaze.

Artist Becky Hansen glazing “Victory Falls” – Limited Edition Fall Collection.

The Best Yet!

Kevin Hicks, “I like to look outside the box for creative ways to push forward – beyond what we have done in the past, beyond what other potteries are doing, and beyond what is typical.”

Victory Falls – Limited Edition Fall Collection, $598

This special design is part of our Limited Edition Fall Collection and will be available for order only through September 30, 2017. It is our third version of a waterfall design and shows a progression of our creative expression. Below you can see “Victory Falls” beside our older waterfall designs.

An Evolution: Ephraim’s Waterfalls, since 2003

Left: #323 Waterfall Vase, retired in 2008, 354 made, $148. Center: Water Under the Bridge, 2010 Showpiece, 97 made, $428. Right: Victory Falls – Limited Edition 2017 Fall Collection, in production through 9/30/17.

Posted on July 20, 2017

2017 Summer Collection – Limited Edition Designs

As we soak up the long sunny days and marvel at the tremendous energy of the season we offer our limited edition 2017 Summer Collection. Like summer itself, this selection offers an array of flora, stunning heat, garden-fresh nourishment, and a dose of fantasy. The Summer Collection will be available for order through July only.

Leaf Vases — Available in indigo, satin yellow and leaf green glazes.

Ken Nekola throwing and sculpting the Giboshi Cabinet Vase – Limited Edition. Glazed by Allison Jelenchick.

Artist throwing the vase on a potter's wheel. — Sweet Pea & Bee Vase – Limited Edition. Thrown by Alek Schroeder, sculpted by Laura Klein and glazed by Becky Hansen.

Sunflower Vases — Available in desert sun and indigo glazes.

Potter throwing a vase on the wheel. — Always Face the Sun – Limited Edition. Thrown by Kevin Hicks, sculpted by Laura Klein and glazed by Jennifer Grelk.

Red Sky at Night – Limited Edition. Thrown by Kevin Hicks and glazed by Leah Purisch.

dragon vases — Available in night water and hazel glazes.

Gothic Dragon Vase – Limited Edition. Thrown by Alek Schroeder, sculpted by Laura Klein and glazed by Allison Jelenchick.

Posted on April 21, 2017 June 13, 2017

Earth Day 2017

Earth Day Vase – 2017 Edition (recycled glaze) $218, with $20 per vase donated to The Alliance for the Great Lakes. **June update: We had enough recycled glaze to create 46 Earth Day vases. That means that together we have raised $920 for the Alliance for the Great Lakes! Thank you!**

Two years ago, we asked, “What color glaze occurs from the accumulated glaze dust in our studio?” We discovered a black, speckled teal glaze and we used that color to make a limited run of “Earth Day Vases.” (read about the 2015 piece here). Inspired by our previous attempt at a recycled glaze, this year Becky wanted to find out what a glaze made from her scraping bucket would look like if she systematically omitted the green scrapings from the bucket. Becky painstakingly sorted her scrapings for an entire year. When the bucket was full, we reconstituted the glaze. The entire studio made predictions about the color – in the raw state the glaze was a chalky pink color that resembled many of our other glazes, but what color would it be fired to 2000 degrees?

The next morning when we plucked the sample out of the kiln, the whole studio had a good chuckle when we saw the color – green! Of course, in the end, this made sense because all of the yellow scrapings mixed with all the blue scrapings. The resulting glaze color is a unique shade of green with a softer tone than our leaf green; slightly bluish, though less blue than our teal glaze.

With this pleasing, creamy bluish green glaze in mind, we turned to Laura Klein to design a vase suitable to our new bucket of glaze and to an Earth Day theme. Immediately Laura seized on the idea of making a cicada vase. The rich symbology of a cicada from ancient art – representing rebirth and immortality, paired with poppies – representing sleep and death, seemed like the perfect, unique theme for this special piece.

Artist Laura Klein throwing the Earth Day Vase – 2017 Edition

Artist Laura Klein sculpting the Earth Day Vase – 2017 Edition

At Ephraim Pottery sustainable practices are a regular component of the workflow. We recycle our used clay within the studio & by donating to local ceramics programs, we purchase energy from a solar and wind-sourced power grid, in the woodshop, John uses “scraps” of his quarter-sawn oak to build the smaller tile stands, and we offer reusable cloth bags in our galleries. Various staff members walk or bike to work, others drive fuel efficient vehicles. The list goes on…but you get the idea – we truly care about this beautiful planet and strive to protect the natural world which is our essential source of inspiration in our art.

We invite you to add this special vase to your collection and to also continually strive to make healthy choices for our planet. In honor of Earth Day, we will donate $20 from the purchase of each vase to The Alliance for the Great Lakes. Their mission is to conserve and restore the world’s largest freshwater resource using policy, education, and local efforts, ensuring a healthy Great Lakes for all generations. Happy Earth Day!