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| Greetings! |
Welcome to the latest issue of News & Notes, our email newsletter. Summer is supposed to be the time to kick back and relax a little, right? Well, summer has not brought any "lazy days" to Ephraim Pottery! June was spent getting our new, larger gallery space ready in downtown Lake Mills. We've been at our new East Lake Street location since July 1st and it's really shaping up nicely! You're all invited to join us for our Grand Re-Opening Celebration on September 28. Read on to get the details and a schedule of events for the day.
Throughout the build-out, the move, and setting up the new store, the artists have been working hard on our next Studio Collection, due out later this month. And of course, when new pieces come, some old pieces have to go, and we will be retiring several pieces. More info about both the new and retiring pieces appears below.
Between all that and the other events we have coming up, there's plenty going on at Ephraim Pottery this fall, so please read on!
 Artfully yours,
Kristin Cramer
Ephraim Faience Pottery
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Classic Ephraim vases to retire September 25 | | As we get ready to introduce our new Studio Collection at the beginning of next month, it's time to retire some of our Old Favorites. The 10 classic vases shown below will be retired at 5:00 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, September 25.
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Back row, from left: Old Sage, Stalwart Oak, Century
Middle row: Moonrise, In Balance, Evergreen Tall, Honey Thief
Front row: The Queen, Rustic Pine, Harvest Wheat |
If you've been wanting to order any of these pieces, now is the time to do it! We do not accept orders past the retirement deadline, and we cannot guarantee if or how many of these will be available at our galleries after they are retired. You can order up until the deadline in our online store or by calling 1-888-704-POTS. Please note that it may take up to 6 weeks for your order for these pieces to ship. If you have any questions, please call our office or email Laura Taylor. Thank you! |
| Employee Spotlight: Ken Nekola |
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Ken altering the rim of a Cinnamon Fern Vase. |
Ken Nekola celebrated his tenth anniversary as a potter with Ephraim Faience last October. For his Artist Anniversary Series piece, he created the Cinnamon Fern Vase. This piece exhibits several of the elements that have been characteristic of Ken's work at Ephraim: a repeated leaf pattern, fiddlehead handles, slightly altered rim, Grueby-inspired form, and an overall symmetry.
As part of the Artist Anniversary Series, the Cinnamon Fern Vase bears a special tenth anniversary mark on the foot in addition to our regular marks. Artist Anniversary Series pieces are only available for one year, and the Cinnamon Fern will retire next month on October 10 (5:00 p.m. CDT).
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The Cinnamon Fern Vase is available in Algae, Feathery Leaf, and Antique Green. |
Q & A with potter Ken Nekola
What was your childhood like?
When I grew up in the 1960s in southwestern Illinois, across the Mississippi River from Saint Louis, summers were spent riding bikes, playing baseball, tramping through the fields and woods, and listening to music or a baseball game on the radio.
How did you get started in ceramics?
I got started in ceramics in 1970 when I took my first ceramics class in college. I found that I enjoyed the process of making pottery and that I had an aptitude for it. I was fascinated by the process of making something useful and beautiful from the earth. Ceramics interests me because people everywhere have been making pottery for thousands of years, and pottery can be a gateway into other times and cultures. I have made a living as a potter since 1980.
What inspires you?
I am inspired by the changing seasons, especially summer with its long days, vegetable gardens, and blooming prairies. I also like summer vacations, baseball and a more relaxed pace of life.
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My new pot is making a "pinging" sound. What is it, and is it okay?
That "pinging" sound is nothing to worry about. It is the sound of the glaze settling on the pot and going through a process known as "crazing." You can see the effects of crazing on some types of pottery such as those with crackle glazes, but because our pottery has a matte finish you can't see the tiny cracks in the glaze.
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| Coming Events |
Sat., Sept. 21: 9:00-5:00
Sun., Sept. 22: 11:00-4:00
Admission: $7 Minnesota State Fairgrounds - Progress Center Building
Saint Paul, Minnesota
2:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Free! Everyone is welcome!
Ephraim Pottery Gallery
130 East Lake St.
Lake Mills, WI 53551
See article below left for schedule of events
October 1-31
Cambria, California
See story below
October 19-20
11:00 - 6:00
Admission: $10
Pasadena Convention Center - Exhibit Hall A
Pasadena, California
Ephraim Pottery's 14th Annual Holiday Pottery Fest
December 6-7
Admission: Free
NEW LOCATION! Cambria, California
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| To be, or not to be... |
... a scarecrow?!! Ephraim Pottery West will be participating in Cambria's annual Scarecrow Festival again this year. This year, EFP's entry will be the scarecrow version of our very own favorite woodworker, John "Woodchuck" Raymond. Laura Klein sculpted John's head and hands out of clay, and Leah Purisch painted them. We shipped them out to Cambria and now EP West's manager, Shari Little, has the task of assembling and putting the finishing touches on "Scarecrow John." (Even our scarecrow entry is collaborative!)
Cambria's Scarecrow Festival runs for the entire month of October. People travel great distances to see the amazing scarecrows. After seeing them in person last year, I can see why; it's definitely worth the trip!
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| Contact us | |
Ephraim Pottery Office & Studio
203 W. Lake St., Lake Mills, WI
Website & Online Store
Orders & Customer Service
Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00 CDT
Toll free 1-888-704-POTS (7687)
920-648-5269
Ephraim Pottery Gallery
NEW ADDRESS:
130 East Lake St., Lake Mills, WI
Tel. 920-648-3534
Hours: Tues-Sat 10-5, Sun 11-4
Ephraim Pottery West
728 Main Street, Cambria, CA 93428
Tel. 805-924-1275
Hours: Mon-Sat 10-5, Sun 11-4
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| New Studio collection coming later this month |
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What will be on the cover of the new catalog? |
We are getting ready to release a new Studio Collection later this month. The new collection will include several new vases and tiles, new glaze colors, and quarter-sawn oak frames and stands for our tiles from our new woodshop, Ephraim Studios. We've been working on these new pieces for several months and are excited to present them to you!
There will be two opportunities to preview and purchase these new pieces before they are posted to our online store: at the Twin Cities Arts & Crafts Show & Sale and at the Grand Re-Opening Celebration for our Lake Mills gallery (see below). The new pieces will go online on September 30 and the new catalog will be mailed around the same time.
We'll send an email announcement and post on Facebook when the new collection is online. If you've received our catalogs in the past or if you've made your first purchase in the past 6 months, we will be sending you a catalog in the mail. If your mailing address has changed since April, please email your new address to Kristin (info@ephraimpottery.com) by September 20. Thank you. |
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Celebrate our larger Wisconsin gallery at our Grand Re-Opening |
The celebration will kick off at the gallery at 2:00 p.m. with a ribbon cutting. Immediately following the ceremony through 5:00, guests will be able to enjoy throwing demonstrations by Kevin Hicks as well as a hands-on tile sculpting workshop with Leah Purisch. Studio tours will be offered at 3:00 and 4:00 p.m. Guests will  need to sign up for tours at the gallery, as each tour is limited to 20 people. A special commemorative tile will be given away with each pottery/tile purchase, while supplies last (one per couple/household). Guests can also sign up to win a fabulous and valuable prize (one entry per person over 18).
In conjunction with Lake Mills Main Street and the Arts Alliance's Paint The Town event, there will be a reception at the gallery from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. with light refreshments. A fundraiser with silent and live auctions begins at 8:00 p.m. at Legion Hall. The cost is $25 at the door, and attendees can bid on a one-on-one pottery lesson with the Ephraim artists or on the special vases we donated... or both!
We hope to see many of you on September 28! |
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