Brown County Historical Pottery is made by Susy O’Donnell in her Nashville Brown County, Indiana studio exclusively for Artists Colony Inn’s Colonial Craft Shop. Vases, baskets, and salt and pepper shakers enhance the tables in the restaurant at Artists Colony Inn. Her redware is an interpretation of the Brown County Pottery and Brown County Hills Pottery that was produced in an earlier part of Nashville’s history. Each piece is made with red earthenware, either thrown or molded. Then, after applying a white slip over the piece, an intricate method of carving is used called sgrafitto, which cuts through the slip and outlines the image. The images are then hand painted with watercolors. The motifs are common to the Brown County area and consist of flowers (Cornflowers, Black Eyed Susans, Daisies, Tulips) acorns, persimmons, birds, etc. On the second firing, the glaze on the pots crackles as it cools and an aging technique finishes completes the process. The lead-free pieces are created for decorative use only to inspire and are embellished with a touch of Brown County. Susy is basically self-taught, gathering information and tutelage along the way from various masters and observing historical collections in the Pennsylvania Museum of Art.

Beginning in 1988, she acquired a wheel and kilns and attended classes in Bloomington, Indiana at Mullet Pottery. A member of the Bloomington Potters Coop in the early 90’s, she audited ceramic classes at Indiana University with Tim Mathers, head of the Ceramics Department. In the late 90’s, she took classes with master Majolica potter Susan Snyder, learning pertinent techniques relating to Brown County decoration. Many enriching visits with potter Greg Shooner gave her insight, as well as books and materials related to the field of Pennsylvania German redware. She has made and sold spongeware pottery at the Wilton Historical Society Americana Craftsmanship shows since 1994. Her interest in historic ceramic forms and her exposure to the early American pottery provided a natural evolution, as Brown County pottery involves the same clay and techniques as well as similar aesthetics. Walter and Helen Griffiths and their son, Richard moved to Brown County from Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1932. They wanted to become part of the Brown County Art Colony. Helen had studied art at the Chicago Art Institute, in Paris, France and in Munich, Germany as had some of the Brown County and Indiana artists who lived and painted the hills of Brown. Walter had been an engineer. Their son, Richard was following in his mother’s footsteps and was becoming an accomplished potter . They rented three back rooms, the basement, and an outbuilding of the Bartley House located at Franklin and Van Buren Streets. That outbuilding is now Ruth’s Gardens where you can still see one of their firing kilns in the back of the building. Adjacent to their pottery business, they built a home that is the annex of Ruth’s Gardens. The business operated 12 months of the year. During the slower months of winter, they would build a surplus of pottery pieces to sell - not only to the tourists who visited Brown County, but to large department stores such as Marshall Field’s, L. S. Ayres, and Founkers of Des Moines. Several small shops throughout the country sold their wares and pieces could also be found as far away as England and Germany. The Griffiths paid local residents to dig and process the gray clay from the beds of Salt Creek near Gnaw Bone. This clay proved to be very fine and in most cases equal to or better than the costly imported clay. The process to refine the clay was no easy task. First it was dug and left outside to weather. Then sand and impurities were removed by sifting it through a screen with sixteen hundred holes per square inch. Brown County clay has iron in it so when fired in the kiln, it turns a red terra cotta color. In the beginning, Mrs. Griffiths was in charge of the painting, coloring, and glazing ; Mr. Griffith did the molding or carving; and Richard did the “throwing” of the pottery. Later as their craft became more popular, they hired and trained local residents to help them. The earliest and most notable was Claude Graham who later opened Brown County Hills Pottery. Thelma Schrougham also learned the business and became quite artistic and proficient in the finishing and the glazing processes. Another apprentice of the Brown County Pottery in the middle 1930’s was Karl Martz who opened his own studio, became quite renowned, and was head of the ceramics department of Indiana University School of Fine Arts. The variety of the articles and decorations were surprising. Some of the items made were jugs, jars, candlesticks, cups and saucers, tumblers, plates, casserole dishes, light bases, teapots, vases, hot plates, and toothpick holders. Also, figurines were done in at least fourteen different poses, and realistic fruits made of the clay such as apples, pears, bananas, and mangoes. Some of the decorations were daisies, blue bells, tulips, grapes, dogwood, and pine cones. Usually the main glaze was a cream color trimmed in blue, green, or brown. Brown County Hills Pottery also made pottery with a green and yellow ochre glaze and no decoration. Mr. and Mrs. Griffith died in 1953, but Claude Graham opened Brown County Hills Pottery who used most of the same decorations. During the latter years, they began importing the clays. Information gathered from the family was that Claude perfected the grape & dogwood patterns. Other people involved in these pottery businesses were Chud Roberts and Caroyn Ondreicka, Mary Jane Terkhorn, Eva ,Geneva and Iva Harden. In an article written by Grover G. Brown for the Brown County Democrat in 1937, he stated, “It seems that the pottery should solve the Christmas shopping problems for many of us here at home. Each year a liberal discount is given to the home people at Christmas time, and each year sees the home sales grow.” Many local people used this pottery and they were quite proud that it was made in Brown County. In keeping with this tradition, the Colonial Craft shop will offer to its local residents and its best customers a discount on our Brown County Historical Pottery in December of each year. A special exhibit and sale of Susy’s work will be on exhibit every October in both the dining room and Colonial Craft Shop of Artists Colony Inn.

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