Menu

Category: Reserve & Limited Editions

American art pottery handmade to order, just for you. Blog Reserve & Limited Editions

Category: Reserve & Limited Editions

New! Fall Collectionā€“Limited Edition

September 6, 2019
Categories: Design & Process, Reserve & Limited Editions

These five new seasonal pieces will be available to order from August 30th, 2019-September 30th, 2019.

Fall is a favorite season, a time when wayward winds spin and altered light casts suspicious shadows. This autumn we offer you a collection inspired by the unique aspects of the season ā€“conspiring bats, a bit of bittersweet, fluttering ginkgo leaves, a black cat lurking, and a bridge to what comes next.

Bittersweet Pumpkin

The Bittersweet Pumpkin is a Laura Klein design through and through. Laura enjoys growing these short Cinderella pumpkins in her garden to use in her fall pies. She also collects dried bittersweet vines that grow on her property to incorporate into her fall decor.Ā 

 

Onward Vase

The bridge motif is a favorite at Ephraim. We enjoy the repeating architectural design elements of bridges and appreciate their symbolism around the act of moving forward. The Onward Vase marries our signature sculpting with our new functional glazes in a classic Ephraim green color. This allows you to display your favorite fall flowers in a water-tight Ephraim vase with no liner.Ā Ā 

Coven Vase

Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble…

Three bats hide among the billowing leaves to whisper and conspire, reminding us of the three witches from Shakespeareā€™s Macbeth. This piece is offered in two spooky glaze combinations: Chestnut and Crystalline Purple.Ā 

Bearer of Hope Jar

Glancing up from morning coffee and newspaper, the ginkgo leaves that flutter outside in the blustery fall wind remind us that the world is larger than those troubling headlines. Inspired by Japanese woodblock prints and decoratively painted Japanese folding panels, or Byōbu, this elegant jar features ginkgo leaves as they pass through three window frames. The Bearer of Hope Jar is carved with a free hand, so each piece is slightly different than the next.

Ready to Prowl Tile

A black cat awakens at nightfall and stretches as he readies himself for a night prowling the city. Two glaze firings and a variety of glazing techniques create the feeling of a dusky autumn evening, complete with illuminated windows and overcast sky.Ā 

 

Read More

Dragons + Vases = an Ancient Combination

July 24, 2019
Categories: Blog, Design & Process, New & Inspirational, Reserve & Limited Editions

Ephraim Dragon Vases

 

 

Have you noticed that Ephraim loves to create a dynamic dragon vase from time to time? TheĀ age-old combination, dragons and vases, goes back centuries. These imaginary wingedĀ serpentsĀ are presented as ferocious, sometimesĀ fire-breathing,Ā across cultures. Eastern folklore brings us a benevolent protector and good luck while Western culture conjures a menacing harbinger ofĀ doom and destruction, the adversaryĀ of many a heroic Medieval knight.

 

 

There is a rich history ofĀ dragon motifs featured on antique ceramic vases the world over, marked here (L-R) byĀ the David Vases, created circa 1351 in Jingdezhen, China for the alter of a Daoist temple;Ā this Amphora PorcelainĀ Works dragon vase from early 1900s’ Bohemia;Ā and Japanese ceramicĀ artistĀ Kataro Shermandoni’s dragon vase, created during the turn of the twentieth century when heĀ worked for Rookwood PotteryĀ in Cincinnati, OH.

 

Ephraim’s latest dragon vase,Ā Guarding Grueby,Ā is a playful narrative featuring a hand-sculptedĀ dragon,Ā formidable to some andĀ a hero to us,Ā wrapped around a Grueby-revival vase. This dragon is charged with guarding the revered andĀ historicĀ leaf-and-bud design, interpretedĀ here a century after its inception as part of Ephraim’s limited edition 2019 Summer Collection.

Why are we inspired to incorporate these fantastical creatures in our artwork? Today, from the Harry Potter fantasy novels in our children’s librariesĀ to Game of Thrones on our late night screens, dragons continue to tug at our collective imagination. The possibilities areĀ endless. They are make believe, after all.

 

Read More

The Early Bird Vase, artistry through evolved methods and design

May 7, 2019
Categories: Blog, Design & Process, New & Inspirational, Reserve & Limited Editions
Early Bird Vase by Ephraim Pottery
Hand-thrown and sculpted pottery Early Bird Vase

Ephraim artists Jennifer Alexander and Kevin Hicks created this unique piece which represents how we continually explore new directions that drive the evolution of our artwork. Over the years,Ā Jennifer pioneered a tile design inspired by stained glass featuring curvilinear line work and pooled glazes, while Kevin established a low-relief carving technique drawn from the historic Marblehead Pottery methods and designs. Years later,Ā Early Bird merges these two styles to create something fresh and new that becomes next-levelĀ Ephraim.

Creating the Early Bird Vase

Jennifer was instrumental in developing glaze techniques for Kevinā€™s Marblehead-inspired designs which eventually informed the Early Bird glazing process. With two glaze firings, the color palette could be expanded while spray and brush techniques eliminated glaze dripping. This, along with Kevinā€™s refined incised carvings, boldly brings the panoramic band of spring blossoms and chickadee to life on the throat of a clean, modern, sure-footed form.

Read More

Hello Sunshine ā€“ our debut functional vase

May 7, 2019
Categories: Blog, Design & Process, New & Inspirational, Reserve & Limited Editions

Nothing brightens a room more than freshly picked flowers! Hello Sunshine is Ephraimā€™s debut functional vase, fired to a higher temperature and finished with our newly-developed functional glazes so there is no need for a liner. These sunny vessels are offered in two sizes to accommodate your favorite cut flowers or the treasured, hand-pickedĀ bouquets delivered to your backdoor by bright-eyed children.

Imagining the Hello Sunshine Vase

New ideas rush into our studio effortlessly and often. When we imagined an Ephraim functional glaze, we knew we wouldnā€™tĀ find that formula in a book. Our idea was differentā€“a glaze fired to a higher temperature that is flawless, modern, and exciting poured over a refined, distinctly-Ephraim form that tolerates temperature variations and the rugged pace of day-to-day living.

Inspired, we invested an untold number of hours discovering theĀ perfect combination of raw elements andĀ refining a beautifully-thrown form to showcase it. Hello Sunshine embraces Ephraim’s aesthetic, itĀ offers comfort and practicality in the hands and homes of Ephraim Pottery enthusiasts.Ā It was definitely worth theĀ effort, we hope you enjoy our new idea.

Read More

A Photo Journal of the Miniature Making Process

February 13, 2019
Categories: Blog, Design & Process, Reserve & Limited Editions

Miniature Process

During late winter, Ephraim artists boldly engage in an emerging tradition. We find space on our shelves and in our creative consciousness to build miniatures based on beloved Studio Collection designs. Our fine motor skills are already honed from holiday ornament production which intuitively turns our attention to what we fondly call ā€œminis.ā€

 

Miniature Octopus Vase

In fact, itā€™s the artists’ experience over the past 15 years in developing and making hand-thrown ornaments that led to experimenting with one-of-a-kind miniature vases. The process offered our studio unique challenges, taking years to work through.

 

Miniature Stalwart Oak Jar

While the finely-wrought details in glazing and sculpting minis require similar techniques to their full-sized counterparts, it also requires more delicate motions, sharper tools, and ongoing patience. Loading an asymmetrical, minuscule figure with a tiny foot into the kiln demands precise balance so the pots can fire evenly.

 

Miniature Craftsman Rose Vase

To date, Ephraim has only managed to offer four miniature designs in short-run, limited editions ā€“ all in the last six or seven years. We will continue to welcome this post-holiday challenge because, in the end, the effort keeps us nimble and each successful attempt keeps us cherishing these astonishingly adorable and rare mini reproductions.

Read More

Making Space ā€¢ These 11 Designs Retire at the end of January

January 24, 2019
Categories: Reserve & Limited Editions

Retiring Designs 2019

Each January we make space for the yearā€™s new designs by retiring a handful of pieces from production. This carves out creative capacity and studio space for us to refine new designs that are in the works for the year ahead. While this isĀ exciting creatively, we are wistful each time we have to say goodbye to a beloved piece of art.

Top row (left to right): Tropical Orchid Vase, Art Nouveau Crocus Vase, Orange Tree Tile, Giboshi Lantern

Center row (left to right): Revival Rose Jar, Noble Dragonfly Vase, Koi Pool Tile

Bottom row (left to right): Canopy Vase, Midsummer Vase, Aqueduct Vase, Crown of Snowdrops Vase

Read More
Back to Top

Ephraim Pottery

Shopping Cart
Close

No products in the cart.