Valentine’s Day Show Preview

With Valentine’s Day just a week away…

We are happy to announce the opening of our 4th annual V-Day Show!

New work from Kentucky potter, Amelia Stamps

We have new work from all of our artists…teapots, platters, serving bowls, lidded jars, keepsake boxes, wine goblets, flower vases, baking dishes, and of course coffee mugs.

Lots of coffee mugs.

We are loaded up on jewelry too…with new designs from Mary Parker and Becky Rosenkrans.

Join us Friday February 7th and Saturday 8th from 11am -6pm

3638 East Mitchell Street in Humboldt, TN

Companion Gallery(731)267-7784

A special thanks to Kristi Woody for the lovely images of our gallery

Christmas Open House

Dec5

As Luck would have it, we scheduled our Christmas Open House for this weekend…also known as “Ice-Pacalypse 2013”. Regardless of school closings and bread shortages at the grocery stores…we WILL be open to the public as scheduled.

Our Open House runs from 11am-6pm on Friday & Saturday. We have been working long hours in preparation and have had many early bird visitors already this week. The shop is all decorated for Christmas, complete with coffee and hot chocolate. We’ll have a fire in the wood stove and Christmas tunes on the radio. On display will be works from Kelsey Nagy, Caroline Cercone, Shadow May, Amelia Stamps, Made on Acorn Hill, and little ol’ me. If it does turn out to be dangerous…please stay home and enjoy your families. We will be open during regular business hours from now until Christmas. If the weather cooperates, bring a friend, we would love to see you!

If you’re out of town check out our Store section at the top of the page…we are all stocked up!

Thanks!

Fall Open House Preview

Oct24

Each year we open up a large part of our gallery to our students. Jill and I view this as a time to honor them, applaud their accomplishments, and just say “Thank you”.

Student Work…Clockwise from Top Left: Bobby McAlexander, Lesley Rickman, Debi Sullivan, and David Blackwood.

Our students come from all walks of life. Some are new parents, some are grandparents. Some are blowing off steam from the pressures of a new career, while others are building new steam after retirement. We have mommas, teachers, nurses, engineers, doctors, beauticians, carpenters, and railroaders. We have salesmen, seamstresses, dietitians, HR people, and a school principal. All of these folks have carved out a portion of their lives and dedicated it to learning the art of handmade pottery, and we think that’s worth cheering.

Teapot by Heather Blackwood

In addition to all of the wonderful student work, we are so proud to introduce 3 new potters to our gallery…Amelia Stamps, Caroline Cercone, and Shadow May.

Porcelain Vase. Amelia Stamps, Lexington KY

Shino Teapot. Caroline Cercone, Nashville TN

Side-Fired Coffee Mugs. Shadow May, Chattanooga TN

Carved Porcelain Butter Dish. Kelsey Nagy, Jackson TN

Of course my own wheel has been humming too….

Large Rectangular Serving Bowl with multiple ash glazes.

Chip n Dip with lots of glaze…

Barn Wood Serving Bowl…a personal favorite

Ash Glazed Teapot. Eric Botbyl, Humboldt, TN

As you make plans for this coming weekend, please consider joining us for our 3rd Annual Fall Open House & Student Show.

Botbyl Pottery & Companion Gallery

3638 East Mitchell St (Behind the Crown Winery)

Humboldt, TN 38343

Friday October 25th 11am-5pm Reception 6pm-10pm

Saturday October 26th 11am-5pm

Daily updates on our facebook page

Out of town? Check out our Online Store

Mother’s Day Preview

May9

Details, Details, Details

Grafted Wine Amphora

Grafted Coffee Mugs…black, white, & red all over

Berry Bowls…its Strawberry season in West Tennessee!

Large Square Bowl

Barn Wood Sushi Plates

Thrown & Altered Gondola

Chip n Dip with Mossy Ash & White

Large Ash Glazed Bowl

Gravy Boats by Kelsey Nagy

Porcelain Bud Vases

Join us for our Mother’s Day Show this weekend…

May 10th & 11th at Botbyl Pottery & Companion Gallery

3638 East Mitchell Humboldt, Tn (behind the Crown Winery)

Friday 10am-9pm There will be live music at the winery from 7-10pm

Saturday 10am-5pm

Winners of the Photo Contest to be announced soon!

Botbyl Pottery Photo Contest

May2

Ten years in business is quite a milestone, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the support I have received over the years.

As we gear up for our Annual Mother’s Day Show, Jill and I would like to say “thanks” by holding our first ever Botbyl Pottery Photo Contest!

Here’s how it works… take a picture of the Botbyl pots in your home and email them to me. Easy.

-Photos of Botbyl pots in and around your home (on the mantle, in the cabinets, by your favorite chair) will receive a 10% off discount on your next purchase. This is for shy folks who don’t actually want to be in the photo.

-Photos of you or your family using your Botbyl pots will receive a 20% off discount on your next purchase.

Get creative! Stage shots of your family together, pets, babies, serving dinner, sipping coffee, pouring wine, in your car, at work, or by the pool.

–My Top 3 favorites photos will receive a 50% off discount towards the next piece in your collection!

Send your photos with your name and address to botbylpottery@gmail.com with “photo contest” in the subject line.

Entries are due by 8pm- Wednesday, May 8th.

One discount per photo….feel free to send several.

Here’s a few early entries to get your creative juices flowing…

Charlie Boy

Most folks put tea or sugar in these boxes…not this guy. Love this picture.

Favorite coffee mug…

I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with. Thanks!

Eric

Valentine’s Day Show Preview

Feb5

Preparing for a show takes a lot of work. There is the obvious…weighing, wedging, making, altering, trimming, handling, back-filling handles, drying, loading, firing, waxing, latexing, slipping, glazing, glazing, glazing, reloading, firing again, grinding, sanding, photographing, emailing photos, addressing postcards, applying hundreds of stamps, pricing, and setting up in the gallery. And that’s really just skimming the surface.

Thankfully I have help. My lovely wife is beyond gifted when it comes to setting up the gallery. And it’s not an afternoon project. Over the course of a week she’ll turn that space upside down, rearrange, and make it new. I’m convinced there’s a bit of magic involved. And on the studio side of things there is Kelsey Nagy, who aside from making her own work, (refer to list above) is essential to the studio running smoothly on a daily basis.

Our Valentine’s show is special because each year we feature Minnesota jeweler, Becky Rosenkrans. Her work is available all year long in the gallery but this weekend we will be overflowing. She brings hundreds of pieces, each one completely unique. Plus she’s just a lot of fun.

Here’s a peek…

Sterling Silver and Greek Leather Bracelets by Becky Rosenkrans. Companion Gallery 2013

Small Ash Glazed Keepsake Boxes by Eric Botbyl, 2013

Ash Glazed Chip and Dips

Porcelain Coffee Mugs by Kelsey Nagy. Companion Gallery, 2013

Made on Acorn Hill…handcrafted soaps, hard lotion bars, and scented salt scrubs. Gift sets available.

Embossed Copper by Becky Rosenkrans. Companion Gallery, 2013

Grafted Mugs by Eric Botbyl. Ash Glazed Stoneware. 2013

Coffee Mugs with textured panels….

We still have kilns cooling so there will be much more at the show than we could feature here.

We hope to see everyone this weekend!

Botbyl Pottery & Companion Gallery

3638 East Mitchell (Hwy 152) Humboldt, TN

Friday February 8th 10am-5pm

Saturday February 9th 10am-5pm

Christmas Open House Preview

Dec4

This weekend we will be hosting our Third Annual Christmas Open House at our studio in Humboldt, TN.

This year is special for us because it marks our 10th year in business! We are so grateful for your support over the past decade. Thank You!

Here’s a little preview of the show…

Ash Glazed Serving Dish. Thrown and Altered Stoneware. Winter 2012

Teapot and Cup with lots of glaze. 2012

Ash Glazed Keepsake Box. Winter 2012

Ash Glazed Double Dipper…

Oval Dish…

Serving Bowl with Rolled Rim…

Porcelain Mugs by Kelsey Nagy.

And some handmade goodies in the $10-$35 range…perfect for teacher gifts…

Soap Dishes and handcrafted soaps from our friends at Made On Acorn Hill…gift sets from $21

Lots of new coffee mugs…from $30-$40

Handmade Felt Ornaments…made by a young friend of our family…her creativity and craftsmanship are top notch. $12 each

Salt Cellars…4″ wide…for a “little” extra flavor $10

Open House Hours: Friday Dec 7th & Saturday Dec 8th 10am-6pm

We are located right behind the Crown Winery in Humboldt, TN. Check our Contact page for directions.

Find us on Facebook!

Holiday Mart Preview

Nov15

This weekend we will have our usual spot at the USJ Holiday Mart at the Carl Perkins Civic Center in downtown Jackson, TN. This is our tenth year in business and our tenth Holiday Mart. This show is our biggest of the year with over 100 vendors and 10,000 people in attendance. The muses have been whispering and the kilns behaving…here’s a little preview for our faithful collectors.

Ash Glazed Teapot

Chip n Dip with Ash glazes. One of my personal faves

Butter Bell with Copper Ash

Basket with lots of glaze. Another favorite

Triple Dipper

Ash Glazed Keepsake Box

4 Grafted Mugs with Ash glazes and Black Slip.

USJ Holiday Mart… walk in, turn right, we’re down on the corner. Hope to see you there!

Friday November 16th, 9:30am – 6pm

Saturday November 17th, 9:30am – 6pm

Sunday November 18th, 12pm – 5pm

Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/eric.botbyl

Studio Open House

Oct18

Please join us this weekend for our Second Annual Student Show & Fall Open House. Each year we clear out part of the gallery and give our students the props they deserve. This show is our way of honoring our students, celebrating their work, and giving them a chance to show off their skills to family and friends. Click here to check out some of their work. Join us Friday October 19th, noon-10pm & Saturday October 20th, 11-5pm.

Here’s a little bit of what I’ve been up to…

Faceted Jugs. Available at Botbyl Pottery & Companion Gallery