| Greetings! |
Welcome to the latest issue of News & Notes. We're still waiting for spring to arrive here in southern Wisconsin, although the grass has started to green up and a few hardy tulips and daffodils are poking their heads above the soil. The thermometer actually broke 60 on two days in the past month, but it's been snowing on and off today. You just can't take it seriously at this point, or you'd go off your rocker.
Maybe by the time we send out our May newsletter, spring will finally be here and we'll be able to include a photo of something pretty outside. In the meantime, enjoy the tales of our indoor activities. And if you're in the San Francisco area, stop by our booth during our first appearance at the popular Hillsborough Antique Show in San Mateo on April 25-27 (see right).
Hopefully,
Kristin Cramer
Ephraim Faience Pottery
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Creation of our first fan-built piece is underway!
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As we announced in last month's newsletter, we are offering our Facebook fans the opportunity to participate in the  development of our first-ever "fan-built" piece. The concept is similar to the "fan-built episodes" that some t.v. shows have done. The pot is being "built" in steps: first the subject matter, then the form, then the sculpting, then the glazing, and finally the name. At each stage, fans are able to vote for their favorite choices by "liking" them on our Facebook page. Step by step, a new piece is taking shape and will eventually be offered for sale.
Here is a recap of the steps we have completed so far. Fans responded to our call for subject matter with hundreds of interesting ideas for motifs. We winnowed down the suggestions to the following three that we thought were a good fit with our style, were doable, and would be able to be repeated so we could offer it for sale to our customers. The three finalists were barn owl, hollyhocks, and tadpoles.
Fans voted by liking the photo of their favorite, and hollyhocks came out as the winner.
Next up was form. Our artists presented the following three forms for our fans to vote on. What shape did our fans think would look best with a hollyhocks design? Form "B" got the most likes and was the winner.
Now that the subject matter and form had been chosen, it was time for the artists to get to work on design. Five of our artists sculpted designs and submitted their pieces for voting.
Voting on the designs wrapped up this past Sunday and "D" was chosen as the fan favorite.
This brings us to the present. What's next? Glaze design. During this stage, the artists will throw and sculpt several examples of this piece and bisque fire them. Then, the glaze design and testing will begin. This portion of the development process will  take a few weeks. Our goal is to have at least 3 different glazed versions posted on our Facebook page by May 1st. That vote will determine the final appearance of the piece. Next, it's the wordsmiths' turn to suggest possible names. By May 12th, the piece will be named and will be ready to be offered for sale.
This process has been so much fun for us! We're excited and pleased that so many of you are participating. If you haven't liked our Facebook page yet, there's still time to do so and get in on the final stages of the voting. We know that not everyone is on Facebook, but we hope you'll consider getting on and joining us. Even if you don't, you'll still be able to reap the benefits of the voting by your fellow Ephraim fans when the new piece is made available for sale in mid-May.
Stay tuned...
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| Retiring now |
As you probably know, we're busily working on our Studio Collection for 2014. In order to make room for this year's new pieces, we're retiring the Spring Arrowroot and Black Raspberry vases. You have until 5:00 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, April 30, to place your order online or by calling us toll-free at 1.888.704.POTS (7687).
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Color as shown
$248
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Approx. 11.25'h x 6"w
Colors: Pumpkin (shown); Leaf Green
$288
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| Recently discontinued, but maybe we can help | |
Unfortunately, we recently had to discontinue production on the following pieces:
#F03 Golden Ginkgo vase
#F12 Three Bears vase
#F23 The Haunt Candle Pillar
#F77 Octopus tile
#G09 Southern Oak
#G10 Calm Seas
#G23 Pretty Posies vase
#G62 Under the Chestnut Tree tile
Even though we will no longer be making these pieces anymore, we still may be able to fill your order using inventory at our Wisconsin or California galleries. If we can't fill your order, we can search our database and refer you to one of our retailers who may have the piece you're looking for in stock. Give our office a call toll free at 1.888.704.7687 (Mon-Fri 9:00-5:00 CDT) or email your request to ephraim.office@gmail.com. We'll do our best to help you find what you're looking for! |
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Employee Spotlight: Kevin Hicks
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Kevin Hicks grew up on a farm in rural Deerfield, Wisconsin. After high school, Kevin left the farm and enrolled at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Business and Art. He focused on ceramics in his Art program.
After a brief stint as a sales rep for a business machines firm, the lure of the clay became too strong, and Kevin went to work at a production pottery in southern Wisconsin. Here he was able to concentrate full-time on honing both his craft and his business skills, holding various positions at the pottery, from potter to production manager.
Several years of production pottery began to take their toll on Kevin. Not being able to give his creativity full rein was frustrating, and churning out hundreds of mugs and crocks was not fulfilling. Neither was working for someone else. Kevin quit his job in the summer of 1996 to found Ephraim Faience Pottery with two partners. The partners have moved on, but 18 years later, Kevin and Ephraim Pottery are still going strong.
Q & A with Kevin
How is working at EFP different from other places you've worked?
At Ephraim, each person is vital to the success of the organization and their input is felt each day. Everyone has the opportunity to make their mark in a very impactful way. No one is "just another employee." I often hear from people I know outside of the pottery that seem fascinated by our collaborative work environment. We all reap the rewards when we succeed, and when we struggle we all share in that as well. The correlation between how much we put in and the level of success we share is very apparent.
What is the most challenging aspect of your work?
The most challenging thing is all the different hats I have to wear in order to guide a small business that designs, creates, markets, and sells art. All parts of my brain are challenged most every day. Nothing ever comes easy. I can honestly say that I haven't been bored for even one day since starting this business.
If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
San Francisco. For some reason I feel a connection to that city that always makes me yearn to go back. It's a place where people seem so friendly, cultures come together and yet keep their diversity, and art is clearly important. I love the climate and the closeness to so much beauty and energy and the enthusiasm people seem to have there.
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Coming Events
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April 25-27
San Mateo County Event Ctr
San Mateo, California
Fri 11-8, Sat 11-7, Sun 11-5
Admission:
Seniors $8
May 17-18
Arts & Crafts Chicago
Concordia University
River Forest, Illinois
Sat. 10-5, Sun. 10-4
Admission: $7
June 6-8
Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin
presents
Wright & Like: Driving
Mr. Wright
The Friday evening, June 6 portion of this event will be taking place in Lake Mills. The Ephraim Pottery studio and gallery will be involved. Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin will be releasing more details soon. If you're interested, please check their website for updates. More details will also be available in our May newsletter.
VIEW OUR EVENTS CALENDAR
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| Reserve Edition update | |
We've had fantastic responses to our recent Reserve Edition offerings. The edition size of the Miniature Ginkgo Branch Vase is 135 - our largest numbered edition so far... in terms of quantity, that is. Most of those pieces have already been shipped; we still have about a dozen left to finish, including the pieces for our galleries.
 | | Becky glazing minis |
The Dogwood Bowls are being worked on now and should ship around the end of April.
We appreciate your enthusiastic response to the Reserve Edition pieces. We're looking forward to creating more great new designs for you! |
| Did you know? | |
The trillium is also known as the "wake robin" because as one of the earliest spring flowers, its blooms were said to wake up the robins.
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Studio Collection & Catalog
for 2014 | |
This year we will be presenting only one, larger, Studio Collection. The new collection is scheduled to go online during the second half of June. Print catalogs will be mailed in mid-July.
We will also be offering several Reserve Edition pieces this year. These will be announced by email and posted on our Facebook page. If you want to know when new pieces are available, please check your inbox and our Facebook page so you don't miss any notifications. |
| Just to let you know... | |
Our web support consultant has tested our website for the Heartbleed virus and has informed us that our site has not been affected.
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| Holiday gallery closings | |
Both our Lake Mills (WI) and Cambria (CA) galleries will be closed on Sunday, April 20th, so that our employees can celebrate the Easter holiday with their families.
Happy Easter and Passover to all!
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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
130 East Lake St., Lake Mills, WI
Tel. 920-648-3534
Hours: Wed-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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