At Ephraim we create pottery in limited editions. Each year we role out a “Studio Collection” that represents the best of our current work. Studio Collection pieces are created in editions of up to 500 pieces. From time-to-time we also make special smaller editions. This year, in honor of our 20th anniversary, we are creating four seasonal collections – only available for 6 short weeks each season.
Limited editions are traditionally a common practice in the artistic realms of printmaking, photography, and slip cast pottery, but an unusual practice for a studio pottery that individually hand throws and sculpts each piece. So why do we make limited editions?
1. Limited editions allow us to work with a collaborative approach to design and a specialized approach to production.
2. There is an essential practicality to working in editions that enables us to leverage efficiency while still offering a large variety of designs.
20th Anniversary Spring Collection, Limited Edition “Frog Log” – glazed and waiting to be loaded in the kilns.
3. Refining a single design forces us to hone our craftsmanship skills. There is a certain zen that comes with refinement which ultimately allows us to achieve a higher level of quality.
20th Anniversary Spring Collection, Limited Edition “Rhinoceros Beetle Redux” in greenware.
4. Small editions require us to refine, but then continue to design and move forward. Just as our patrons’ sensibilities evolve from season-to-season so do our artists’ eyes. Not being committed to a design for years allows us to evolve in a free way.
