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Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments

American, b. 1936

An icon of modernist ceramics since the 1960s, Stan Bitters constructed rough assemblages of clay slabs and spoked wheels into massive murals and tall totems, upsizing his medium to an architectural scale. 

Like Toshiko Takaezu, Peter VoulkosPaul Soldner and others, Bitters was part of a small group of American artists during the mid-20th-century who embraced imperfection in their pottery

Working in ceramics, a material that during the last 100 years was relegated to the supposedly lesser artistic realm of craft, Bitters and these other artists made bold, chunky pieces that served as a counterpoint to the smooth lines and overall slickness of modern and postmodern movements like Bauhaus, constructivism, minimalism, Op art and Pop art.

Hailing from Fresno, California, the self-proclaimed “old hippie” Bitters earned his bachelor’s degree in painting from UCLA. He also studied at what became Otis College in Los Angeles under Voulkos — the bad boy of American ceramics

Voulkos almost single-handedly spawned what came to be known as the California Clay Movement and flouted pottery’s approved techniques. He transformed clay into a vibrant, highly expressive artistic medium, and Bitters’ funky, fractured style certainly shows it. 

Bitters later became associated with organic modernism and created ceramics for Hans Sumpf, a maker of adobe bricks and furniture in Madera. 

“Known for his Abstract Expressionist style, Bitters is a steadfast champion of environmental ceramics — the melding of natural, organic clay forms, sculptures and architectural elements into urban spaces to complement, transform and elevate their surroundings,” says Greg Nielson, of Dwell Floor Five, in Studio City, California.

With their sputtery glazes and graffiti-esque glyphs, Bitters’s works exude raw, countercultural energy.

Find Stan Bitters decorative objects, garden ornaments, planters and other furniture for sale on 1stDibs.

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Creator: Stan Bitters
Stan Bitters Bird Houses in Glazed Ceramic, USA, 2017
By Stan Bitters
Located in Berlin, DE
Excellent handmade bird houses of glazed lowlfier clay by Stan Bitters. The birdhouses are available in different colors. The houses are a favourite with finches.    
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments

Materials

Clay

Stan Bitters Bird Houses in Spray Metal, USA, 2017
By Stan Bitters
Located in Berlin, DE
Excellent handmade bird houses of porous lowlfier clay in spray metal by Stan Bitters. The birdhouses are available in different colors. The houses are a favorite with finches.  
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments

Materials

Clay

Vintage Stan Bitters Hans Stumpf Hose Pot California Modern c. 1970's
By Stan Bitters
Located in New York, NY
Exceptional Mid Century, California Modern garden hose pot, by noted potter Stan Bitters, for Hans Stumpf, circa 1970's. This example is in very fine, ...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments

Materials

Clay

Stan Bitters Bird Bath, 1970s USA
By Stan Bitters
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Beautiful hanging bird bath by noted Californian ceramicist, Stan Bitters. Plastic cords are attached at three points on the dish and meet in a clay disk at the middle of the cords. Each plastic cord is adorned with a clay ball and a cast clay bird at each base. Bath has an inviting blue glazed interior where the water is held. Good condition as shown. Matching bird feeder available in separate listing. As a pioneer of the organic modernist craft movement in the 1960s, Bitters has been producing rough-hewn ceramic birdhouses...
Category

1970s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments

Materials

Ceramic, Stoneware, Plastic

Sun Screen by Stan Bitters, USA, 2017
By Stan Bitters
Located in Berlin, DE
Stan Bitters sun screen made from strips of fired unglazed clay. Each strip is approximately 2 cm / 0.8 inch wide and they vary in length. The individ...
Category

2010s American Mid-Century Modern Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments

Materials

Clay

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Stan Bitters Bird Feeder, USA 1970s
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Stan Bitters California Modern Stoneware Birdhouse
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Stan Bitters Midcentury Ceramic Stoneware Birdhouse
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Stan Bitters Hose Pot for Hans Sumpf
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Stan Bitters California Modern Stoneware Birdhouse
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Stan Bitters California Modern Stoneware Birdhouse
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Stan Bitters California Modern Stoneware Birdhouse. The cord is 40" in length. Multiple available. Stan Bitters is an American ceramics sculptor whose work was instrumental in sh...
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Stan Bitters Hans Sumph Ceramic Clay Sgraffito Lot of Four Tiles
By Stan Bitters
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Set of four stoneware tiles with sgraffito flower design created by Stan Bitters for Hans Sumph. Tiles measure approximately 5.75" square by .50" deep and are unsigned. In very good ...
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Stan Bitters California Modern Stoneware Birdhouse with Natural Grown Moss
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Stoneware birdhouse which retains its natural grown moss made by artist and sculptor Stan Bitters of Fresno, California. Birdhouse measures: 6" by 6" by 5.5" cord is 48" long and is ...
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Stan Bitters Bird House in Terracotta, USA, 2017
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Stan Bitters Ceramic Bird Feeder for Hans Sumpf, circa 1960
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Stan Bitters garden ornaments for sale on 1stDibs.

Stan Bitters garden ornaments are available for sale on 1stDibs. These distinctive items are frequently made of ceramic and are designed with extraordinary care. There are many options to choose from in our collection of Stan Bitters garden ornaments, although brown editions of this piece are particularly popular. We have 4 vintage editions of these items in-stock, while there is 3 modern edition to choose from as well. Many of the original garden ornaments by Stan Bitters were created in the mid-century modern style in united states during the 1970s. If you’re looking for additional options, many customers also consider garden ornaments by and Paolo Soleri. Prices for Stan Bitters garden ornaments can differ depending upon size, time period and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these items begin at $550 and can go as high as $9,950, while a piece like these, on average, fetch $1,195.
Questions About Stan Bitters Garden Ornaments
  • 1stDibs ExpertJanuary 19, 2025
    The kind of artwork that Stan Bitters is famous for is ceramics. He has been an icon of modernist ceramics since the 1960s. Bitters constructed rough assemblages of clay slabs and spoked wheels into massive murals and tall totems, upsizing his medium to an architectural scale. Like Toshiko Takaezu, Peter Voulkos, Paul Soldner and others, Bitters was part of a small group of artists working in the United States during the mid-20th century who embraced imperfection in their pottery. Working in ceramics, a material that was then relegated to the supposedly lesser artistic realm of craft, Bitters and these artists made bold, chunky pieces that served as a counterpoint to the smooth lines and overall slickness of modern and postmodern movements like Bauhaus, Constructivism, Minimalism, Op art and Pop art. On 1stDibs, shop a range of Stan Bitters ceramics.

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