In the following video, you will see Lois Barker starting the process of making a mug. You will see a piece of clay pressed almost instantly into the mug's shape. At the end of the video, you will see a mug that has already had the handle attached and is ready for a bisque firing. Enjoy!If you're interested in learning more about the RAM press, keep checking back on this blog for a behind-the-scenes look at all the various machines and equipment used at Jean Elton Studio.
2009 Holiday Handcraft Show
Saturday, December 5th - 10-4pmSunday, December 6th - 12-3pmEmail here for location
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Presented by Jean Elton Studio and GalleryLois BarkerKathy SackettAmy Willers
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Hand Made OrnamentsSpecialty Table Top ItemsHand Painted GlasswareTable LinensHandcrafted JewelryHoliday Sweets and TreatsTablescape designs and decorating ideas
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Sip some cider or have a glass of wineBrowse one of a kind beautifully designed piecesAs you check off your Christmas Gift List.
And here they are!
I have had so much fun with the Christmas ornaments, from finding all the fun cookie cutter shapes to adding the color and the glitter at the end! All the Jean Elton artists have been involved in the painting, so we have a variety of personalities showing through in all the ornaments. Some are very precise and well measured, some are whimsical, and some are very modern.In the pictures below you will see the final steps of making the ornaments as well as the finished product. ( Just to warn you, you will be tempted to eat some decorated sugar cookies after viewing!) You will see the painting of each individual ornament, the glaze firing, the spraying (which adds a bit of a sheen), and finally adding just a touch of glitter.Thank you for keeping up with us here at Jean Elton! Please check back in a week or so for information on where the Christmas ornaments will be sold.
Ornament Update
As you may remember, JE artists Kathy and Lois were hard at work on their Christmas ornaments. They rolled the clay into large slabs, used cookie cutters to create tons of fun shapes, used straws to add holes to each ornament, stamped each shape with the Jean Elton logo, and once they dried, they were each cleaned up around the edges.
Next, they were fired in the bisque firing. How did the bisque turn out? See the pictures after the jump.
The ornaments were fired in the electric kiln, as seen above.
In a bisque firing (or the first firing), the pieces can be stacked on top of each other.
The electric kiln was stacked full of shelves like this with piles and piles of ornaments.
If ornaments aren't given enough time to dry before firing,they will break in the kiln, as seen here.
Here, Lois is unloading the kiln by removing the shelves.They are very heavy!
Finally, the bottom of the kiln and the last of the ornaments to unload.
The ornaments are stacked according to their shape and put into boxes.They are now ready to paint!
Around the House
Jean Elton has three distinct lines of pottery: dinnerware, giftware, and designer. The dinnerware and giftware can be customized to suit your tastes and reproduced as many times as you would like. The designer line of Jean Elton pottery are unique pieces of art created by Jean Elton artists. However, did you know that the Jean Elton dinnerware and giftware can be used as art around your home, too? Take a look at the gallery after the jump for examples of dinnerware and giftware as home decor (click for larger picture).
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
The team of people behind Jean Elton are not your ordinary, type-A workaholics. Yes, they work hard, but they are also quite creative in everything they do. For example, last Friday a staff meeting was planned. Instead of a boring meeting, however, they met over an exquisite meal on Jean Elton dinnerware. See the pictures for a beautiful table setting and several of the people behind Jean Elton.
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!