
Christmas Ornaments
If you've visited almost any retail store this past week, you may have noticed that they are already preparing for Christmas. Well, if they are, then so can we! This week, artists Lois and Kathy began creating Jean Elton Christmas ornaments. Here's a picture tour of the first part of the process.
First, the clay is rolled into large slabs.
Kathy and Lois have decided on a large variety of shapes!For that, they use cookie cutters.
The cookie cutters are placed on the slab of clay.They try to fit in as many as possible.

Here, Lois and Kathy are using straws to poke holes in each ornament.

Each ornament is then removed from the cookie cutter and placed on a tray.


Next, they are all stamped with the Jean Elton logo.

The ornaments need to remain flat until they are completely dry.Believe it or not, this is only a small fraction that have been made!
After the ornaments have been given a chance to dry, they will need to have the edges cleaned up. Then, they will be fired in the kiln, in what is called a bisque firing (or the first firing). After the bisque, each ornament will be hand-painted with various colored glazes by Lois, Kathy, and other Jean Elton artists. Then they will need to be fired again.
Check back in a few weeks for pictures of these next steps of the process!
Staff Meetings
A Lovely Bouquet in a Jean Elton Sail Vase

Behind the Scenes: Inspirations
My mother-in-law is a painter and we have some of her beautiful watercolor paintings around our house. She painted a lot of flowers, but most of her work was very abstract. Before I started hand-painting our dishes, I would look at her work and wonder if I could translate some of that beauty onto our pottery. In the beginning, I would try to draw a perfect flower, but soon I realized that perfection wasn't as interesting as different shapes and designs. Instead, I started drawing flowers, not worrying whether or not they were perfect, and then complement them with abstract shapes that I would later paint in all different colors. That is how the latest Jean Elton designs were born. I use water color glazes to achieve the bright and varied colors that I saw in my mother-in-law's paintings. And then I just draw and see where the shapes and colors take me.
"We Love Our Dishes!"
Steven Bass recently married the love of his life, and on their registry was a full set of Jean Elton dishes. Upon receiving place-settings from various friends and family members, Steven wrote to Jean Elton with his thanks.
Our Jean Elton dishes were exactly what we wanted. They came out looking even better than they did in the pictures we saw. They are so unique and durable that they double as our everyday dishes and special occasion dishes. We really do love them.
So if you are interested in some Jean Elton dishes for your upcoming special occasions, please visit our store and place your order today!
New Art: Water Color Designs

New from Jean Elton Studio, artist Lois Barker uses "water color" type glazes to paint these bowls by hand. All designs are completely unique, and yet match perfectly with each other. Each bowl or plate takes several hours to complete, and that's just the painting! These designs are available in all sizes of plates, bowls, and even lamps.
Behind the Scenes: Jean Elton Studio

Who would have ever thought that this sleepy, little cape in southern Fairfield County, Connecticut, masked the highly productive Studio that is Jean Elton?
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As you can see, there is a lot going on in this studio. So keep checking back on this blog for more looks behind the scenes, as well as explanations of the different materials used, methods of creating, and machinery, such as kilns and pug mills.
Pottery Party at Jean Elton Studio!
Occassionally, Jean Elton Studio will host private parties, as they did this past Saturday. There were several families and a good time was had by all!One little girl, Natalie, wrote, "I had so much fun! And I think your vases and other peices are beautiful! And thank you for inviting me back! I look forward to it!"Her sister, Julia, was equally enthusiastic, "Thank you so much for one of the best days of my summer! I had so much fun and learned in the process!"Their dad was actually surprised by the fun! He said, "I had thought I would watch and take photos but really got drawn in! It was a ton of fun!"Another family wrote, "Thank you so much for the fabulous 'Jean Elton' extravaganza!... I enjoyed coming into contact with clay again, and Nancy is now impassioned as well!"A day at Jean Elton Studio is a day to be remembered and can be enjoyed by both young and old. Keep checking back on this blog for any future events!
Slab Pots, Coil Pots, and Pinch Pots
A tutorial from the artists at Jean Elton Studio and Gallery, LLC on how to make slab pots, coil pots, and pinch pots. Enjoy!
