American Mid-Century Modern Douglas Ferguson Pigeon Forge Pottery Vase Signed

A very nice MCM California studio pottery stoneware vase with brown earth tones, circa 1970s. The vessel is in very good vintage condition with no chips...

California design studio stoneware weed pot / vase, circa 1970s. The pot is in very good vintage condition and measures 7.7"D x 6.5"H. The piece is signed on the underside. #3805

Mid Century ironstone studio pottery glazed vase - featuring a wheel thrown ceramic body, flaring slender form neck and bulbous body - the glaze with a mottled finish - the base left...

Vintage hand-thrown vase features complex Crater glaze in off-white and espresso brown colors. Minimal color palette and streamlined shape of the piece allow the textured glaze with variations from semi-matte to high gloss to take the spotlight; slightly asymmetrical rim adds hand-crafted, Organic Modern mood to the vase design. The vase is personally signed by Douglas Ferguson on the bottom with his name and "Pigeon Forge Pottery Tenn". The Crater glaze has become one of the most recognizable glazes made by the Pigeon Forge Pottery. Often commonly referred to as "Volcanic" or "Lava" glaze, the Crater glaze was developed and made in several colors. We are offering a vase and 4 more bowls in different shapes by Douglas Ferguson, done in variations of Crater glazes, in separate listings. Douglas Ferguson (1912-1999) was an established Tennessee pottery artist; he received a degree in Art Design Studies from Mars Hill College and worked in the Ceramic Research Laboratory for the Tennessee Valley Authority in Norris, TN, from 1935 to 1947, where he experimented with local clays. In 1946 he started Pigeon Forge Pottery in an old tobacco barn with his wife Ruth and Ernest Wilson, his colleague at the Ceramic Research Laboratory. He formulated many of his own glazes, including crystalline and Crater glaze. In 1957 he created the Clingman Dome tea set, named by Ferguson for the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains, which the state of Tennessee presented to Queen Elizabeth. Ferguson became a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild in 1948 and remained active until 1998, receiving Life Membership in 1991. He earned two awards from the Tennessee Arts and Crafts Festival in Nashville, received the Rotary Certificate of Distinguished Service, and was featured in books on Appalachian...