 Very excited that this is our fifth year producing this event! As one of the founders it is really wonderful to see how this event keeps growing. Presented by Wisconsin Craft, this event is a self-guided urban studio tour where attendees can discover artists in their neighborhoods or explore various studios around Milwaukee County.
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My newest design is the Bleeding Hearts pattern. One of my favorite flowers as we have many growing all around our back yard. Spring is my favorite time of year as the shoots and leaves of this amazing plant are sprouting forth from the ground. The Bleeding Heart pattern is definitely my most complicated to date. It consists of a different approach to applying my colored slip. A more painterly technique, I brush on layers of the different colors in specific areas on the piece before I do the carving. Once carved, I then paint on additional highlights of color to define the flower's details and ad a little more depth. Video Below:  It is so wonderful to be back at in-person shows this year! If you enjoy collecting pottery, The Clay Collective Spring Pottery Tour is for you! Nine different Tour Stops featuring a total of 24 potters from around the region. Tour Stops are located in and around south-eastern Wisconsin communities of Cambridge, Deerfield, Lake Mills and Johnson Creek. I will be located at tour stop #5 at the home of Glen Cutcher's in Cambridge. Hope to see you there on April 30th and May 1, 2022! Celebrating 10 years!   Everyone loves a good mug. People say they enjoy my mugs because they are large, sturdy, and super functional. They love the large handle and the curved body so they can hold the mug with their hand around the middle. A variety of colors and patterns can be found in stock and ready to ship in my ETSY Shop. Local pick up available in Brown Deer, WI.
 I hope you can come and visit my home studio at 8469 N 50th Street in Brown Deer, WI on October 3 & 4! Press Release: The Wisconsin Designer Craft Council (WDCC) will be presenting the second annual MKE Fine Craft Studio Tour, Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 3 & 4, from 10 a.m. through 5 p.m. both days. The MKE Fine Craft Studio Tourwill include 9 working “host” studios with 31 different artists total displaying and discussing their fine craft. “This is a fun and safe opportunity to explore Milwaukee and shop one-of-a-kind handmade art and gifts directly from the makers,” said Jean Wells, President of the Wisconsin Designer Craft Council. “Great timing for the upcoming holiday season and it helps support small business owners.” Attendees will be able to view the creative environments where the host artists develop and produce their wares. Each location will offer a distinct variety of fine crafts such as: fiber, leather, ceramics, woodworking, sculpture, metalsmithing, photography, mixed media, jewelry, and encaustic painting. Each location on the MKE Fine Craft Studio Tour will be observing CDC Guidelines such as social distancing and mandatory face masks. Hand Sanitizer and face masks (for purchase) will be available. Some studios will be limiting guests and it’s suggested that all tents/rooms be occupied by no more than 2 people or family group at any given time. Visit www.MKEfinecraftstudiotour.org for detailed information of all locations (including printable map), participating artists and tour stops. Attendees can visit all nine tour stops or select a variety of stops based on their personal interests. # # # About WDCC: Established in 1916, the Wisconsin Designer Crafts Council (WDCC) has been a statewide organization dedicated to fostering excellence in fine crafts and making them more significant in the cultural life of Wisconsin. WDCC works to elevate the standards of design and craftsmanship among Wisconsin’s artisans and the crafts community. WDCC encourages individual expression, vitality and aesthetic growth opportunities for fellowship, acquisition of skills, and competitive exhibitions.  Photos above: 1) MKE Fine Craft Studio Tour yard sign, 2) Jef Raasch, sculpture, J.A.R. Studio, 3) Lennis Mathews, Encaustic Collage, 4) Erika Mock, Fiber Artist (Photo by Stephanie Bartz) 5) Andrew Linderman Pottery (Photo by Stephanie Bartz
6) Lyn Chevrier - Jewelry  During the summer of 2017, I created a new design reflecting the Milwaukee Downtown Skyline, viewed from Lake Michigan. It has been an exciting new design for me and I am currently carving it on plates and vases of various sizes. A night time silhouette carved in the black slip with a windy sky.....lots of fun to carve! The water is a blend of cobalt blue and turquoise slip, then carved with rhythmic waves.
Shortly after I displayed these pieces online and at the Morning Glory Craft Fair in Downtown Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Downtown BID contacted me to see if I could create their annual awards for an upcoming event. I created 16 vases for each of the different award recipients, with the award name carved in the rim of the vase.
 For the Holidays, Milwaukee Downtown also purchased the little plates as gifts for their Holiday Light sponsors! I was able to find a beautiful black glossy gift box and black plate stands to make their gifts complete!
Several customers asked if I could create a Madison Skyline Plate and just last month, I created the first pieces pictured below. I hopefully will be able to carry these plates and vases in stock both at shows and in my online Etsy Shop. If you have any questions about these items, please contact me.
#Milwaukee #Madison #Skyline #Wisconsin #handmade #pottery #lakemichigan #lakemonona #WIcapitol #Downtown
On May 6th and 7th, 2017, the 9 members of The Clay Collective and 15 guest potters will open their studios to the public for a free self-guided driving tour. The studios are all within a short distance of each other, nestled in picturesque Eastern Dane and Western Jefferson Counties (only 45 minutes west of Milwaukee, 30 minutes southwest of Madison and two hours north of Chicago). This year marks the Collective’s 6th annual tour. To celebrate this milestone, the 2017 Spring Pottery Tour will feature the largest and most diverse selection of pottery ever. This is a special opportunity to meet the makers and discover some of the unique processes involved with their work.  The Clay Collective, a group of 9 potters based in South Central WI, boasts a combined total of over 250 years of experience and a wide variety of traditions. The Collective formed in 2012 to bring more pottery to the public by showcasing their art in the studios where it was created. Together, they represent styles in pottery ranging from Arts and Crafts to rustic wood-fired pottery.  Jean's Clay Studio, Tony Winchester and John Garland & Mary Paul, are potters that will be participating at Bruce Johnson's Clay Studio in Lake Mills, WI. One of the 7 stops on the tour.
For more information and a map, please visit: The Clay Collective Jean's Clay Studio has been commissioned by the USGA (United States Golf Association) to make custom pieces for the 2017 U.S. Open held at Erin Hills, WI in June. For the past few years, the USGA has been contacting local artists near the Championship and featuring their work in the merchandise tent. I have been commissioned to create about 560 pieces.  These 10 inch plates are just some of the items I am in the process of making this winter/spring. These plates have just been carved with the logo and are waiting to dry. The colors will turn out darker once they are fired and glazed. I am also making vases, serving dished, wine cups and large mugs.  Stay tuned as I hope to create a video of the making of the pieces for the 2017 US Open in June.
I would like to give a big shout out to all of my colleagues, friends, and volunteers who helped create 840 bowls on Saturday, May 7, at Murray Hill Pottery Works for our 18th Annual Bowl-A-Thon for Milwaukee Empty Bowls! The generosity of these people over the years just astounds me and I am truly grateful for their time and energy to make this event such a success. The world is a much better place with these folks in it. Thanks Everyone! Click Milwaukee Empty Bowls to find out more information about the annual event where these bowls can be purchased. Thanks to Stephanie Bartz Photography for taking these great photos on Saturday! 
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Jean WellsPotter - Milwaukee, Wisconsin Archives
September 2023
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