We here at Jean Elton Studio continue to develop many new products. One such piece is our new teapot, which is handmade from a slip mold of a jar. A slip mold is a mold made out of plaster that is filled with a very wet clay called slip. The plaster of the mold begins to absorb some of the water from the slip, which causes it to attach to the sides of the mold. After a short amount of time (usually about an hour), the molds are turned upside-down to pour out the remaining slip. They are left like that overnight and then taken apart the next day. Watch the video for the rest of the process.
Teapot Lamp
You've seen the jar mold turned into a lamp and turned into a teapot, but now we have the jar as a teapot lamp!
Interested in how it's made? Check back later this week for a video of the jar to teapot from start to finish!
What is a Slab Roller?
In our studio, we have many machines that aid in the production of our pottery, like our pugmill and our slab roller. The slab roller itself is very unassuming and doesn't take up space, but we use it to create many different items!
First, we take a log of newly extruded clay and cut it in half lengthwise.
Next, it is smooshed (a very technical term) down with other thin pieces of clay. We tend to use two to three whole logs of clay for a good sized slab.
The slab of clay is very thick at first, so we roll it through several times. Each time, we turn the knobs on either side of the roller to press the clay flatter and flatter.
We then use the resulting slab of clay on our various molds for vases and bowls.
Or we use it for our ornaments...
Or wall-hangings.
So as you can see, our slab roller is a very important part of our studio! Without it, we wouldn't be able to create some of your favorite pieces.
If you enjoyed learning about this machine, read our post on the pugmill and keep checking back for more posts about various other machines in our studio.
Versatile Little Jar
Over ten years ago, Bill Barker sat down at his potter's wheel to throw a jar. When he was finished, he was particularly happy with his work. The lines were nearly perfectly even and the shape was very pleasing to behold. He and Lois like the piece so much, they decided to make a slip mold so they could forever replicate the jar.At Jean Elton Studio, we still use that mold today and it is not only the basis for our jars, but for many other pieces as well! We are constantly finding new uses for the shape, for anything from lamps to candleholders! See the gallery below for all the various pieces that have been born from the same jar mold.
How to Write a Mission Statement
Developing a mission statement for a company that has been in business for over 30 years is quite a challenge! But that's just what we have done in the past several months. Here is an overview of our process and the mission statement with which we ended up.
- What is a mission statement? We reviewed the definition of a mission statement to make sure that everyone involved knew what we were looking for. Thanks to BusinessDictionary.com, we know that a mission statemtent is a "Written declaration of a firm's core purpose and focus which normally remain unchanged, whereas business strategies and practices may frequently be altered to adapt to the changing circumstances."
- Brainstorming. Next, we had a brainstorming meeting and invited people who had been involved in Jean Elton at one time or another throughout the years. During that meeting, we examined various mission statements from companies similar to ours in size and industry. Then everyone took some time to list words and phrases that they thought described Jean Elton and were central to its purpose. Next, we answered some essential questions about Jean Elton. Some examples include, "What need does the company fulfill?" and "How do we differ from our competitors and what is our competitive advantage?". And finally, everyone put together a mission statement using various descriptive words and answering the most important questions.
- Party. After the brainstorming meeting, we had a dinner party for more people that played some sort of role at Jean Elton, plus the people from the original brainstoming meeting. In this way, we could gain some new insight on our original ideas and discuss further descriptive words and phrases.
- A Collaboration. After the meeting and party, we took all of the most important ideas and merged them into one cohesive statement. This took on many forms before we finally settled on the statement below. We hope that it makes it clear who we are and what we are about.
Jean Elton Studio & Gallery is a stoneware pottery company committed to creating functional and decorative dinnerware and home decor from our studio in Fairfield County, CT. The ceramic products in our ever-evolving product line fuse artistic design and practical durability. Our custom work celebrates the collaboration of artist and client on a journey to inspire and delight, and to create one-of-a kind objects pleasing to the eye and to the touch.
Why Stoneware?
At Jean Elton Studio, we work exclusively with stoneware and have for over 30 years. We love stoneware because of its durability in every day use, as well as the ability to dress it up for more formal table settings.Stoneware is so durable because it is made with clay and then fired at very high temperatures. We fire our pieces at over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit! Like its name implies, the resulting material is like stone: hard to break and waterproof. Many of the dinnerware that you can buy at big box stores are made of another type of porcelain dinnerware and tend to break more easily. Like Lois says, "While we believe they are of better quality, safer, and better designed than many of the imports currently available in the marketplace, we hope you will want to own them because you love the way they look and feel!"On a personal note, as the daughter of "Jean" and "Elton", I grew up using their stoneware dishes. In my nearly 30 years of interacting, using, cooking with, and cleaning their dinnerware, I have only ever broken one bowl! And on that occasion, I had mistakenly slammed it against the dishwasher as I was unloading it. I can testify that, as well as being beautiful, their products are durable and will last years and years.
Hand-Painted Mugs
Sometimes when I'm between projects, I try to come up with new ideas for our pottery. A couple weeks ago, you saw the evolution of our large bowls through the years. It seemed like such a big jump when I started hand-painting our bowls with so many different colors! From there, I started hand-painting everything! But only this past week did it occur to me to hand-paint our mugs. The picture above shows the first ever Jean Elton painted mugs and I am so excited about them that I will probably keep them in my kitchen for myself. But even if someone didn't want a whole set, wouldn't just one be a fun gift?
How to Set a Table
- First, decide on whether you would like an elegant/formal presentation versus a casual one. This will affect which dishes you will use and what you will accessorize with.
- Decide which dishes to use. We here at Jean Elton Studio are trying to create dinnerware that can be used for casual and formal table settings.
- Match the dishes with a tablecloth or placemats.
- To dress up your Jean Elton dinnerware (or any dishes that you choose to set), add some of your fine china, crystal, and/or silver flatware. To keep it casual, accessorize with pewter or stainless steel flatware.
- Remember, forks go on the left!
- Find matching napkins. To make the table more interesting, add napkin rings, or fold your napkins in clever ways.
- Accessorize with other fun items like individual salt/pepper shakers or miniature flower arrangements at each place setting. In the evening, add tea lights to make a warmer setting.
- Finish with a centerpiece to match your theme. Remember it doesn't have to just be flowers or a plant! It can be a matching dish with a candle and greens around it, or a bowl of fruit.
Find creative ways to set your tables and take pictures! We'd love to see them. Or if you are out of your own ideas, copy some of our's from the gallery below.
Making of Square Plates
This movie was filmed in Jean Elton Studio and shows the whole process of making our square plates, from making the mold in the beginning, to glazing in the end. These plates in particular were made informally for an executive education class at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
The Evolution of Painted Bowls
When asked why she started hand-painting her large ceramic bowls, Lois remembers a conversation she had with a fellow ceramic artist at the Rosen Show in Philadelphia several years ago. "The woman had hand-painted her bowls and was selling like crazy," Lois says. They got to talking and Lois mentioned how much she admired her work, while lamenting her own lack of drawing skills. But the woman encouraged Lois to begin painting. And that's how it began! That's when Lois started painting plates; she liked it so much, she eventually graduated to hand-painting all her work!Browse the gallery below to see the evolution of her painting prowess on her large bowls.