May 2003
Vol. 5 No. 2

The winners of our 2003 Photo Contest vividly illustrate why collecting Ephraim Faience pottery is truly an investment in beauty.  Their artfully arranged collections are obviously well-loved, and definitely add beauty to their homes. The winning photographs are shown here, and are shown in color in the on-line version of News From Ephraim. These photos, along with statements from the winners, will be included in Catalog #8.

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to everyone who entered the contest!

Grand Prize - Cover Photo

Janet Akcakal
Aurora, Illinois

Wow! If you’ve already had a chance to check out the new pieces on our web site, I have no doubt that you’re echoing my sentiments. If you haven’t been to ephraimpottery.com lately, I invite you to log on to see what’s new.

So, what is new this year? Well, for one, we’ve introduced lidded boxes. These look very nice on a dresser or end table. They’re also great for gift-giving. They are available in 3 designs: a pine branch, a frog and lily pads, and a Greene and Greene inspired “cloud rise” pattern.

We’ve also introduced 2 new glazes: Pumpkin and Lizard Skin. Pumpkin is a faience glaze that is the color of—you guessed it—pumpkin! It is a rich, burnt orange with reddish undertones and mustard-yellow highlights. Lizard Skin is a unique, single-coat curdle green with a glossy finish and creamy white highlights. Both are available on a limited number of pieces. (View glazes)

My favorite new piece is the Meditating Frogs Vase. Both the color scheme and the design evoke a feeling of tranquility. Looking at it makes me feel peaceful.

I asked a few other EFP staffers which new piece was their favorite. Here’s what they had to say.

Meditating Frogs Vase

Mayapple Vase

The Mayapple Vase is the favorite of new Sales and Customer Service Manager Jana Mirs. She loves the graceful lines of the vase and how the glazes flow together.  The Mayapple is a wildflower native to Wisconsin.

Studio foreman John Raymond had a few favorites among the new pieces, but his number one choice is the Feathery Leaf Vase. He likes the sharp contrast between the  warm yellow of the edges of the leaves and the very dark green background. John has a personal interest in this piece because it fell to him to duplicate the “happy accident” that generated the idea for this color combination in the first place. We think you’ll agree that he came up with a beautiful result.

Feathery
Leaf Vase

Majestic Dragonfly Vase

Decorator and sculptor Jesse Wolf’s favorite for 2003 is the Majestic Dragonfly Vase. Says Jesse, “I love the glaze and the form of the vase.” Jesse also loves the commanding presence of the dragonfly on this tall vase (13.25” h).  The unique color combination comes from a new mossy green crystalline glaze that  flows down into our Leaf Green faience. It is a truly striking piece.

With the introduction of Catalog #8, we are retiring 3 tiles from Catalog #7: the #295 Butterfly, the #297 Snowy Mountain Elk, and the #298 Arrowroot. If you’ve had your eye on these tiles, now is the time to order them. The ordering deadline is 5:00 p.m. CT on June 30th, 2003. You will not be able to order these tiles from us after the deadline, so please call 888-704-POTS now to place your order.

Click here to see photos of the tiles being retired.

Many of you have inquired about the Snowy Owl Vase that you saw in our recent magazine ads. Unfortunately, we had to tell many of you that the numbered edition of 50 was already sold out. We thought we’d take this opportunity to give you some background information on this piece.

When did you decide to make the Snowy Owl Vase?

The EFP artists had been working on prototypes for this piece since last fall. Because it’s such a complicated piece, we weren’t sure if we could make a number of them until early this year.

What’s so complicated about this particular piece?

There are 8 different glazes on the Snowy Owl vase. Because each color has slightly different properties, each covers and flows a bit differently. Not only does the glazer have to anticipate how and where each color will run, the sculptor also has to be aware of the glaze properties and sculpt the decoration in a way that will facilitate color application.

Why did you only make 50 of them?

First of all, we were concerned about being able to make this vase repeatedly due to its difficulty. In fact, about a third of our attempts at the Snowy Owl have come out as second-quality pieces and have had to be destroyed. (In comparison, our seconds rate on our regular pieces is around 5%.) Secondly, we had always intended for this to be a very special, relatively rare piece. We never planned to make more than 50 of this vase.

Why was the Snowy Owl Vase sold out when I called?

Because we wanted to show the public this new direction in our work,  we put a photo of the Snowy Owl vase in a few of our magazine ads. We did not anticipate the overwhelming response that the photo would generate. We had originally planned to put this piece in our new catalog, but we had so many requests for it that the edition sold out before copies of some of the magazines even hit the newsstands.

So, will I ever be able to get a Snowy Owl Vase?

Unless someone who bought one decides to sell it on the secondary market, the answer to this question is, sadly, “no.” There will, however, be other numbered edition vases featuring birds in the future. Watch our magazine ads, this newsletter, and our web site for announcements of upcoming pieces. 

And remember, the fact that we make our pottery in limited quantities is one of the main reasons it is so collectible. If Ephraim pottery was flooding the market and you could get it anywhere, it wouldn’t be anywhere near as valuable as it is. It would also go against the very Arts and Crafts ideals that are the founding principles of our work.

In the long run, limiting the quantities of pottery we make is good for collectors. What this means short term,  though, is that not every collector may be able to get every piece they want, when they want it. So, order early and often, and consider supplementing your collection with purchases from the secondary market, if you’re willing to. And keep reading News From Ephraim so that you don’t miss any important announcements!

On March 16th, my dog Milo and I were sitting out on our deck on one of those very rare early spring days in Wisconsin when the temperature hits 70 degrees. I heard them before I saw them. I jumped to my feet and scanned the bright blue sky. Milo jumped up, too. “There they are!” I shouted. “They’re back!”

Sandhill cranes! One flock of 32 birds (yes, I counted), and another, smaller flock of about 10. They fly in a V-shaped formation, like Canada geese, but their distinctive call gives them away. It’s difficult to describe, but once you’ve heard it, you  will never forget it, nor will you ever mistake it for another bird. It’s a loud, wild, primal call, befitting the oldest known species of bird in North America. Skeletons of sandhill cranes that lived 6 million years ago have been found in Nebraska. And in fact, their call sounds out of place in the modern world.

Sandhill cranes belong to another age, and we’re fortunate that they’re still around for us hear their call and to see them fly. Their flight is distinctive, too—long, fine wings flapping slowly, the tips flicking upward with each stroke.

Photo of an adult sandhill crane by Dr. George Archibald is courtesy of the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, WI. The ICF is the only place in the world where you can see all 15 species of crane in one place. To learn more about sandhills and other cranes, and to hear recordings of their calls,  log on to the ICF’s web site, http://www.savingcranes.org.

When I was a kid in the 1970’s, there weren’t any sandhills around. Although they are native to Wisconsin, there were only a handful still left, and their self-preservation instinct must have been pretty strong, because I never saw them. The first time I saw sandhills was in the early ’90’s, and that was  only a tiny flock of 3. I was amazed when I started working at the pottery to see sandhill cranes on a regular basis. We are surrounded by marshes, wetlands, and cornfields, which are prime habitat for the cranes. Even though I encounter them almost every day from spring into fall, when they head to warmer climes, I am still in awe each and every time I see or hear a sandhill crane. Even though they have made a comeback, they will always be rare and precious to me.

It was a cold, blustery March day and my wife had just filled the bird feeders. It was the second weekend in March, and the temperatures were in the single digits. An extremely cold wind was gusting from the north; an "Alberta Clipper," the radio man said. Within 20 minutes the first birds were at the feeder, and within an hour it seemed like all the birds were there. They must have a telegraph system to spread the word which feeders have seed in them. When a gust of wind hit them

from the wrong angle their feathers would stand on end and you could see their little feet dig into the perch, hanging on for dear life. There were little wrens, another bird about the size of a sparrow with a light blue belly and a dark blue back, and a small one that looked like a red-headed woodpecker. There were many more that I did not recognize. I'll have to dig the bird book out. I sat in front of the window for a long time and just watched the birds. A few years ago, I would have thought that was wasting time.

Ahh, it was a good day for the little birds, but it was a good day for humans, too.

Ephraim Faience Pottery - PO Box 168 - Deerfield, WI 53531
Tel 888-704-POTS/ 608-764-1302 - Fax 608-764-8439