Many of you who have stayed with us here at our Arkansas bed and breakfast have fallen in love with our handmade stoneware coffee mugs and, of course, purchased them to take home. Those mugs have been made for us by Deneen Pottery in St. Paul, MN. They are the premier producers of custom handmade logo stoneware and have been in their family-run business since 1972. They carry forward a long tradition of hand-thrown stoneware designs based on shapes and functions hundreds of years in the making. Each piece is carefully crafted, one at a time.
The process of hand making pottery is both time consuming and labor intensive. Over 24 pairs of hands will touch each mug during its production until it is ready to be shipped. While each piece is uniform in size and shape, every one is created by hand, making it unique. A custom hand thrown mug by Deneen Pottery truly makes a statement of American made quality and craftsmanship. Always check the bottom, you’ll find their mark on each piece that they make.
Peter and Mary Deneen studied ceramics and pottery at Luther College (1966-1970) and from master potter Marguerite Wildenhain (1968-1978). Peter earned his MA at the University of Northern Iowa (1971). With more than 30 years of experience, Deneen Pottery has developed through several locations and creative specialties, both retail and wholesale, to emerge as the premier producer of custom logo stoneware.
“Glaze Engraving”TM is an exclusive process in which original studio art is cut directly into the clay and filled with glaze, achieving a distinctive detailed image. The process was developed by Peter Deneen assisted by artist David Christofferson. David is an illustrator, metal smith, and boat builder. His talents in drawing, three dimensional work, and attention to detail are all part of the “Glaze Engraved”TM quality product.
We usually keep two styles on hand here at the inn, the footed style (shown above) and the round belly style (see below). We like to keep a variety of colors and usually will order a new color or two each order, for variety – and just because we fall in love with it!
So come see us and browse the mugs!
Warmest regards,
Jeff and Nadara (Sam) Feldman – and Sophie, too!
