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A Business from Scratch

One of a Kind Yellow Pitcher original prototype by Weston Neil Andersen copyright Andersen Design 1948 An anonymous benefactor has donated the funds for a memorial service for Weston Neil Andersen, founder of Andersen Design, who died in 2015. It is a daunting challenge but we hope to schedule the service in late August or Early Fall, the favored season for most of our most devoted collectors to visit the region. In the year 1952. Weston Neil Andersen and  his wife Brenda founded Andersen Design, The business development was as hand crafted as the products it produced. I credit the "can do" philosophy to my father's roots in the farming culture. Farmers are very independent self-reliant entrepreneurs. They grow things from the roots up and depend on the grace of natural forces for their fortunes. Andersen Design. was born, with a modest small business loan, self capitalization and a commitment to a vision which took years 15 years to establish on sure footing

What Difference A Curve Makes

Large Salad Bowl Form by Weston Neil Andersen: 10 inches diameter copyright Andersen Design 1970 Prototype of Form before lip was adjusted The Large Salad Bowl with the two tones of blue leaves has been around for a long time. All the while I thought it was a beautiful decoration done on a bowl that had warped in the casting. Recently. when photographing the bowls together, I realized I was wrong. The reason I thought the bowl was warped was because of what appeared to be a misshaped curve of the rim. I took it to be that the bowl had been trimmed when it was too wet and had released and curved inward. On closer examination, I realized it was not a casting error. The bowl was cast from a mold with a higher curve to the rim. lip comparison Observed side by side with another bowl it is obvious that there is no warping in the globe of the bowl. The blue flower bowl, shown from the backside, is the one on the right in the picture. Both bowls have perfectly formed

Patterns in Stoneware Penguins and Trees

In my last post I began a discussion about how one identifies the author of a piece, pointing out the importance of the signature but that the signature can also be misleading. The true signature is in the hand of the artist which is as unique as handwriting. This One of a Kind Vintage Emperor Penguin was created when the decoration for the production design was under development. The overall uniformity of the pattern is one of the keys to identifying that the penguin is decorated by Weston and not by Brenda. Weston's hand is patient, disciplined and rhythmic. The pattern is systematic but not mechanically uniform. Weston takes a philosopher's approach to pattern. The components of the pattern are integral to an inseparable expression of wholeness. The state of mind is at one with the beingness of existence. Weston patientently executes the teardrops in an organically flowing rhythm on the backside of the Emperor Penguin. A similar approach to pattern is shown in the vase

Original Vintage Prototype Stein in Blue and White Stripes by Weston Neil Andersen

Purchase this rare vintage original prototype for your collection The Blue and white stein is an Andersen classic. This stein is probably the original prototype. It is signed on the bottom with a hand scripted “Andersen”, painted in blue decorating color against a background circle glazed in white. It is very rare to find the signature on glazed background indicating that the work was created early on, before the glazed background was dropped for production reasons.  Before Weston designed the prototypes for individual pieces, he made many sketches of a complete line of functional forms on any piece of paper handy, including napkins from road side diners, This is likely the original prototype of the stein because he wasn’t thinking about brand identity when he signed it in simple script with his last name. By the time Dad did the second stein, shown with it in some pictures, the idea of a brand identity, complete with a logo, began to evolve as Weston started to s

One of a Kind Vintage Portrait Bowls by Brenda Andersen

Andersen Design is an American Designer Craftsmen Studio established by Weston and Brenda Andersen in 1952 on Southport Island, Maine, USA. The studio was established with a philosophy of creating hand crafted products affordable to the middle class. It designed original glazes and decorative techniques and designed a line of contemporary functional forms and nature sculptures, using slip cast production as the medium for creating art.  Brenda developed archetypical patterns as repeatable patterns to be rendered by the unique hand  of individual artisans so that no two were ever exactly alike. She also used the ceramic medium to create many one-of-kind artworks. One of her favorite subjects was portraiture. One of a Kind Vintage Portrait of Susan Bowl by Brenda Andersen This bowl is an original one  of a kind object created by Brenda Nash Andersen The story begins with Weston and Brenda setting out to create a unique and creative American ceramic desi
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Andersen Design Vintage In Wiscasset Community Center Show

Prototype design- Carved Vase by Weston Neil Andersen This weekend, on Saturday , April 7th, Andersen Design will be featured in the First Vintage Show at the Wiscasset Community Center 242 Gardiner Rd Wiscasset, Maine 04578 Phone(207) 882-8230Website http://www.wiscassetrec.com/ A sampling of cobbles- small inexpensive but individualistic ceramic art The entry road to the Center runs next to the sports field to the Wiscasset High School. Traveling on the road headed to Augusta from Wiscasset, t he entry road is before on epasses the sports field. There is a red & white sign announcing the show. The show includes work made by local artisans . We fit into both the vintage and local artisans category and will be displaying both. An early 1950's Andersen Chowder Bowl, signed in the hand written Andersen signature For the last several months, I have been photographing our vintage work and publishing it in an Air Table data base. The data base is not yet