Gallery Updates

Winter in Ellison Bay: Art Show--New Dog--New Ideas ---Oh My!!!
Feb 07, 2015
Written by Diane McNeil

Winter in Ellison Bay: Art Show--New Dog--New Ideas ---Oh My!!!

Valentine's Day means Art Show for us this February in Madison, WI at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. If you saw us last November there then you know how fab the show was. Let your friends know. If you can't find us at our booth you'll know we're enjoying the gardens.

Introducing our Studio Dog-who supervises us, or something like that. Mostly, though, he's looking for a lap and John is sitting down, so....? Bo is getting used to life in a pottery studio and soon he'll become our new gallery dog.

NEW for this year is this deeper casserole or baking dish. There are lids, but I wasn't around to shoot those. I love these and I know you will too. John's going to make some bigger ones for those family dinners that come around.

Bowls are on our mind all the time, but especially in the winter when we can focus on new shapes and art. Last year's Door County Potter's Guild show in May had all the potters making one of a kind bowls and we were hooked. Not quite obsessed. But almost. John throws these and we took turns adding our January thoughts to the surface.

There are the regulars that are getting a make-over as well. The humble mug is really a sculpture you hold everyday making them uniquely personal. The handles are the same, though. They must fit your hand, whether you're a girly girl or a manly man, and John wants each person to feel like that mug belongs in your hand. But wait till you see the mugs and steins. Oh, baby, they are, well, wonderful.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading!

Kiln Furniture is Not Comfortable
Dec 16, 2014
Written by Diane McNeil

Kiln Furniture is Not Comfortable

Kiln furniture isn't for sitting. It's for holding shelves in a kiln. This is where John stores his furniture between firings.

This is for plates. The posts hold the plate stand and then we can stack two/three plates in one space. Very handy when we're filling a dinnerware order.

Posts on the floor of the kiln. These will probably stay here until the next firing.

And here is a pile of cone packs.

Cone packs hold pyrometric cones that measure accurately the temperature in the kiln. John uses cone packs and a pyrometer and the color of the flame when he looks into the peep hole to manage his firing. I like to think the cone packs are a kind of art.

New Shape

New Glazes

I love these.

Nature and Our Ceramics
Nov 17, 2014
Written by Diane McNeil
Filed under art, door county, door county pottery, ellison bay pottery, inspiration, john dietrich, nature, pottery

Nature and Our Ceramics

Our ceramics are inspired by the stunning natural beauty of Door County, the southern part of the amazing Niagara Escarpment.

The arbor vitae cling to the cliffs and fill the air with it’s tenacious aromas, the fresh air off Lake Michigan and Green Bay lift spirits, the clear water and skies expand hearts and minds of all who visit.

It’s impossible to not be inspired. Our shapes, images and glazes reference the lakes, cliffs, forests, beaches, and weather in each piece of functional art we make.

We translate these powerful experiences into abstract and universal images that elicit an instant response by the viewer which makes visiting our showroom an interactive experience.

A bowl or pitcher may be reminded of a certain beach, person or moment, or a certain season, night sky, a concert or meal when you see a bowl or pitcher. A connection is made, the story becomes yours and you know you've found what you were looking for.