Eshelman Pottery, one of our most recent additions, comes to us from Elizabeth, IL. Paul Eshelman, the creator and owner of Eshelman Pottery, has always been drawn to the functional object. Aesthetically, Paul Eshelman has been guided by Japanese and Chinese crafts, the simple utilitarian objects of the American Shakers, contemporary architecture, and the practicality of Iowa, where he grew up.
His pottery begins from drawings he's done of the things surrounding him - rural sheds, storage bins, roof angles, plumbing pieces, boats. He carves the form of a piece in plaster, creating a mold from which he makes clay vessels. The finished pieces echo the smoothly polished surfaces of the plaster, creating the kinds of elegant functional objects that he admires.
The clay used in his pieces is a red stoneware which has been fired to vitrification; this yields a tough, nonporous surface. Areas are left unglazed to contrast visually and tactilely with the glazed surfaces. The glazes are all lead free. The wares may be safely used in the microwave and dishwasher as well as the conventional oven if the oven is not preheated. Each piece has been designed for use and will provide many years of service.
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