About Potters Brown:
HISTORY:
After serving a two year pottery
apprenticeship with Jim Richardson in Trinidad, California, Doug moved to Texas. In
1971, three old buildings and two acres of land became available, thus began the EDOM CRAFT COMMUNITY. Edom is the third oldest city in Van Zandt County and can be traced to the mid 19th Century. The town was famous for it’s sawmills, tannery, and saloons. By the time Doug arrived, things were pretty quiet and the locals wanted to keep it that way. They wanted to call him a hippie, but with short hair and working long hours, the old timers did not know
quite what to think.
Soon, pots were made and fired, the only thing missing
were customers. When people in fancy cars began to stop at the pottery and leave
with brown paper bags full of God only knows what, the rumors began. People couldn’t
quite figure how you could dig up dirt, spin it into a pot, cook it, and sell it for twenty bucks. So naturally, they had to be growing and selling LSD. Noah
at the gas station explained that the last person to move into town was always the most suspect. When he opened his gas station there were rumors that he was trading gas for (censored).
Doug’s wife Beth came, to the Edom Art Fair in 1992, to sell the handbags and women’s accessories
she designed and made. After falling in love with Edom and Doug, she moved there
in 1993 and decided it was more fun to make pots and learn from a master potter. Downey
Stephens can also be found in the studio. He has worked for Doug since 1982, helping us out greatly. Everything
in our pottery is handmade by us.
PROCESS:
We make our clay body from various
wet and dry clays. One half of the body is prepared in Murchison, Texas by Blackjack
Clay. We make our glazes. Doug’s
years of experience, trial, error, sweat and tears have created the jewel tones that are the trademark of the studio. We bisque fire to 1800 degrees, the pots are then glazed and fired again to 2400 degrees. By controlling the gas to air ratio, we achieve the reduction atmosphere that creates
the unusual glazes. Our pots are food, microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe.
Our studio operates the way things
were done hundreds of years ago, most of the pieces are a collaboration. Each
of us has something to do with the final product, which is the reason the pots are signed POTTERS BROWN. We make things for people to use daily, to grace their table, homes and lives. We hope you enjoy
our work, as much as we enjoyed making it for you.
Edom is located halfway between Dallas and Shreveport, just 13 miles south
of I20, at the intersection of FM roads 314 and 279. We are open most days, but close on occasion, so call if
you need us to be there. Usually the store is open, and if you don't see anyone around make yourself at home.
Squeeky the cat may be there to say hello, and if you see something you like , leave us a check in the register. We
operate on the honor system, and if we don't meet you this time, hope we do soon in the future.
Doug and Beth Brown
