The New Year has brought a record-setting Wisconsin winter with lots of snow and ice. Many mornings after clearing out driveways and digging out cars, our bodies ached as if we had already done a full day’s work. However, the cold and snow weren’t enough to stifle our creativity. Our imaginations burned brightly on the darkest of days. We’ve been busy experimenting with new designs, pairing motif and glaze in effortless harmony.
Our annual trip to Asheville, NC in February was eagerly anticipated; a chance to see familiar faces and debut our new work. This year we were excited to leave the mountains of snow behind and head south to warmer weather. The show was a great success. We brought a wide variety of pieces and met an even wider array of people. We would like to extend our thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth. We truly appreciate all your support, feedback and enthusiasm. If you were unable to attend the Grove Park Inn Arts & Crafts Conference, check out our Exhibitions page to see where we’ll be next.
Trumpet Pinecone Vase
Studio Pottery
These incredible pieces have always been special – and hard to come by. Previously, our Studio Pottery was only available at shows or here in our studio. For collectors that don’t live near a city we visit, this has been frustrating. We are thrilled to finally launch a new gallery page on our website featuring Studio Pottery, bringing these one-of-a-kind pieces to your home (or office) via the internet.
Please remember these pots are not part of our regular production line; each one is unique and will not be recreated. Once a piece is sold there won’t be another exactly like it again. We invite you to visit often to view this changing collection. Just remember, if a piece says “SOLD”, it’s already gone. Due to the varying weights and sizes, additional shipping charges may be added to some pieces. Call the studio at 608.274.5511 or e-mail us at
and we’ll be happy to give you an estimate of shipping costs.
Paris Cameo Vase
New Additions
With the exploration of new designs and the wonderful response to them, comes the reality of deciding what gets added into our line and which pieces will be retired – not an easy task! The studio has been full of activity finalizing designs and glazes. With that almost done, we have started shooting photography for our new Catalog #4, as well as to add to our website. While we expect to have the catalog finished this summer, you will have the opportunity to view and purchase these new pieces here first. Check back often, we’ll be adding fresh designs like the Paris Cameo Vase (left) to our website for you to order.
2007 To Be Retired...
Here’s a list of the vases that will be retired on June 28, 2008. If you’ve been thinking about adding one of these to your collection, now is the time. Once they are retired and our stock is gone – that’s it!
We have added two gorgeous new vases to our Limited Edition page.
Summer’s Edge Vase
Summer’s Edge depicts a graceful dragonfly in flight. A single-sided design, this vase will have a run of 50.
Dogwood Vase
The Dogwood Vase features delicate petals ruffled by a spring breeze. The lovely detail is captured on both sides of this vase. With only 25 of these being made, we expect them to sell out quickly.
Another of our Limited Edition series has been completed. The Tall Thistle Vase finished its run of 50 and they have all left the studio.
Wow – what a busy summer! The big
news around here is that Scott sold the Lakeside portion of
the business to a great group of folks. While they are continuing
with the classes and community studio, the production of Lakeside
Garden Ware Pottery will end. For more information about classes
or open studio time check out their website at www.lakesidepotterystudio.com,
or call 608.441.7687.
Along with the changes in our studio we’ve
had some staff changes here at Door Pottery. Heather Fischer
is no longer decorating for us. She has returned to school full
time, pursuing a degree in nursing. John Tiller has joined us
as a production potter and decorator. John has been throwing
pottery for over 20 years and we feel lucky to have his
talent in our studio. Bridget Hauser joined our staff to handle
the day-to-day business end of things, enabling the artists
to do what they do best – make great pottery!
The first part of summer has been a lot
of moving and reorganizing. Now that the hard part is over
and the dust has settled, everybody is looking forward to being
able to focus on Door Pottery knowing that Lakeside is in good
hands.
New Catalog
Late spring we came out with a new catalog
showcasing fresh designs and gorgeous new glaze blends. You
can download a PDF of our Catalog #3 by clicking on the icon in
the upper left corner of your screen. We’d be happy to
send you a printed copy, email your address to
.
We’ve had an enthusiastic response to this catalog. Check
out our Shops page – we’ve
added a number of great new retailers in an effort to bring
Door Pottery closer to you. With a number of in stock pieces,
you have the opportunity to see different glazes and designs
in person, as well as avoid the 4-6 week wait for your piece!
Many of these shops will also have retired pieces or colors
no longer available.
Shows & Studio Pottery
You can also see our pottery in person at
the shows we attend throughout the year. This is where we try
out new designs and glazes. It is also your chance to purchase Studio Pottery. Because so few of these pieces are made, we
can’t offer them through the catalog.
With John’s talent at the wheel we have been able to do
some amazing large (15-22”) Studio Pieces this year. Scott,
Nicky and John have all had a great time flexing their creative
muscles to come up with unique designs for these incredible
pots. Our Exhibitions page will
let you know when we will be near you. Stop by and say hello
when we’re in your area.
Discontinued Glazes
We are always striving to bring you the
highest quality pottery and the best of Scott’s glazes.
Because of this we have eliminated a few of our glazes. A necessary
change in clay did not react well with Scott’s Blue. Granite
and Copperflake have been inconsistent. These glazes were
taken off our website and not included in our new Catalog #3. We
plan to do occasional firings with Granite and Copperflake
– if anything turns out, we’ll bring the result to shows.
Due to the unpredictability of these glazes, we aren’t
able to take orders for them.
Limited Edition
The Limited Edition English Style Rose Vase run of 50 has been completed. They have all been glazed and
shipped out. If you missed this exceptional vase, check out
our retail shops – you might get
lucky and find one in stock.
Tall Thistle Vase
The
Limited Edition Tall Thistle Vase (left), also a run of 50, is nearing
completion. If you’ve been considering adding this vase
to your collection, you’ll want to order soon before they’re
all sold!
Three of our Limited Edition Vases, Wild
Ginger, Luna Moth and Jardiniere were discontinued because
of production difficulties before their runs were completed.
One of the most important elements
that we try to incorporate into our studio is creativity. As
a part of this we are planning on doing more Limited Edition
pieces with fewer numbers in each run. Keep an eye on the Limited
Edition page for new pots. We’re currently working
on a couple of gorgeous pieces that will be runs of 25, so we
expect that they will sell out quickly.
No,
many of the production pieces are thrown by John Tiller. John’s mark is a capital JT. John also throws our large studio pieces.
Scott mainly throws studio and PD (production development)
pieces. Much of Scott’s time is spent on decorating, new designs,
glaze development, and studio pottery.
What are
studio pieces and why are they hard to get?
Studio
pieces are one-of-a-kind works that reflect the creative individuality
of the artist. Originally, all studio pots were made by Scott.
With the growth of Door Pottery this catagory has expanded
to include the wonderful talents of the other artists in the
studio. These pots are signed by the artist and include the words “Studio Pottery”. Beginning in 2007, we added our stamp – the distinctive Door Pottery three-gingko leaf logo
These
pieces are hard to come by because so few are made. Before the recent launch of our new Studio Pottery page, your best
chance to purchase them was to come to a show and
get there early – studio pieces were (and still are) always the first
to go! You can also try our company store Catfish
River Art & Antiques or Justartpottery.com.
Why are you called Door County Handworks Studio but located in Madison?
Door County, Wisconsin has always
had special meaning to Scott. He honeymooned there in October
1987 with his wife, Tina, and they visit yearly to celebrate
their anniversary. When Scott started his first pottery, he
chose a location that struck him as a place he eventually
wanted to be located in – Ephraim, Wisconsin. After
leaving Ephraim Pottery those dreams remained. Scott’s dream
is still to retire as a potter, somewhere in Door County. Thus, the name: Door County Handworks Studio, or
Door Pottery for short.
SUMMER 2007 (
SUMMER 2007 (
