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New Pottery for 2024

Hope you all are enjoying a new year with new creative possibilities!

I just opened my kiln to reveal some of my first porcelain cups of 2024. Many of the designs from this group are inspired by my new color (green) along with a heartfelt wish for us all to have good luck in 2024.

  • handmade porcelain cup by kentucky artist ken swinson. surface design is green with a goat, four leaf clovers and the year 2024
  • handmade porcelain cup by kentucky artist ken swinson. surface design is green with a bear holding a heart
  • handmade porcelain cup by kentucky artist ken swinson. surface design is green with horses running around four leaf clovers
  • handmade porcelain cup by kentucky artist ken swinson. surface design is green with a rabbit and 4 leaf clovers
  • handmade porcelain cup by kentucky artist ken swinson. surface design is green flowers and a saying ' grow through what you go through'
  • handmade porcelain cup by kentucky artist ken swinson. surface design is olive with horses running around a house
  • handmade porcelain cup by kentucky artist ken swinson. surface design is olive with a rabbit and flowers
  • handmade porcelain cup by kentucky artist ken swinson. surface design is blue with deer and a house
  • handmade porcelain cup by kentucky artist ken swinson. surface design is blue with a cow and chickens

These cups are all thrown on a wheel with hand carved designs and food/microwave safe porcelain, priced at $50 each. Unfortunately these unique pieces are available by in-person sales only.

If you are interested in seeing these (and more) in person, they will be on display from 5-9 on January 27 at the Pendleton Art Center in studio 400. If you are in the Maysville, ky area, you are welcome to get a sneak peek at my studio in Old Washington. Reach out to me to make an appointment.

One of my 2024 goals is to spend more time on my own personal website (and less on social media). If you’d like to help, you can click the button below and leave a comment. I promise to reply!
Here’s to a great 2024!!!
Thanks again
Ken

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New Pottery – Porcelain!! 17 October 2023

After working in stoneware for almost a year, I decided to switch back to PORCELAIN. It’s a luxurious and translucent clay, and the black and white carving technique displays really nice with my printmaking.

Here is my first mini-batch of porcelain cups
Swipe or use arrows to see them all

  • porcelain cup decorated with chickens drinking coffee
  • handmade porcelain cup with opossums holding coffee cups
  • handmade porcelain cup with border collie and sheep decorations
  • handmade porcelain cup decorated with opossums and acorns
  • porcelain cup with cat and bird decorations
  • porcelain cup with border collie and sheep decorations
  • porcelain cup with pig and corn decorations handmade
  • handmade porcelain cup decorated with border collie running with sheep
  • handmade porcelain cup decorated with opossums and acorns

I don’t sell pottery online, but you can see these (and more!) Friday the 27 at the Pendleton Art Center
Hope to see you there!

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28 September Kiln Opening

I’m scrambling to get ready for tomorrow’s FINAL FRIDAY AT THE PENDLETON ART CENTER.

I just took a few new pottery pots out of the kiln. You have to come and see them in person, but here’s a sneak peek with some photos. I’m especially excited about the plate. It’s been a while since I’ve made one!

use arrows or scroll to see all the new pottery!

  • handmade pottery plate with 2 opossum surface design made in kentucky
  • handmade pottery cup with 3 bears drinking coffee or tea on the surface design
  • handmade pottery with a cat and dog enjoying music on the surface design
  • handmade pottery cup with fox and chickens made in kentucky
  • handmade cup with rainbow farm surface design made in kentucky
  • handmade pottery cup with bunnies and turnip surface design
  • handmade cup with sheep design made in kentucky
  • handmade pottery cup with sheep and dog running made in kentucky
  • handmade cup with opossum design. made in Kentucky
  • handmade cup decorated with an opossum made in kentucky

hope to see you tomorrow! I’ll be at studio #400 on the 4th floor from 5-9pm.

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10 Sept Mini kiln opening AND some news

9 new cups came out of my mini kiln today, I’m super excited to show them off!

Swipe or use the arrows to see all the cups in the slideshow.

  • folk art pottery wheel thrown cup made in kentucky with chickens on the surface design
  • folk art pottery wheel thrown cup made in kentucky with a bear drinking from a cup sitting under a rainbow
  • folk art pottery wheel thrown cup made in kentucky with a yellow cat taking photos of birds on the surface design
  • folk art pottery wheel thrown cup made in kentucky with flying pigs eating apples from a tree
  • folk art pottery wheel thrown cup made in kentucky with a yellow cat making pottery on a wheel on the surface design
  • folk art pottery wheel thrown cup made in kentucky with a goat jumping towards a rainbow
  • folk art pottery wheel thrown cup made in kentucky with a yellow cat taking photos of birds under a rainbow on the surface design
  • folk art pottery wheel thrown cup made in kentucky with 2 cats that love cups
  • folk art pottery wheel thrown cup made in kentucky with a yellow cat under a rainbow design

it can be hard to get the idea of what a 3d object is like from photos (even when i take 4 photos at different angles) so here’s a short video with a 360 view of each cup

This coming weekend (16 and 17 of September 2023) is going to be a great time to visit Old Washington (Maysville, KY) We are having the Simon Kenton Festival, and as part of the festivities, I’M GOING TO HAVE MY NEW STUDIO IN WASHINGTON HALL open to the public.

Artist, Ken Swinson, standing in front of washington hall in old washington ky with cups in his hands

I haven’t announced the new studio until now because it’s just a work space, but this weekend, I’m going to give a FREE hands on printmaking activity, and will also have some of my pots on display. You might know that I don’t sell pottery online because i want you to come see it in person and hold it in your hands before you decide to buy one or not ($50 each).

The address is 2111 Old Main Street, Maysville KY. To get to my studio, take the second staircase by Lil Jumbo’s Coffeecompany, and I’m upstairs across from The Rewind Books and Design.
Hope to see you then!

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Mini Kiln opening: 4 September 2023

Hope you all are enjoying this Labor Day! My big labor day festivity was opening my mini kiln and bringing 9 new cups into the world

Hope you like opossums, because 6 of the 9 cups feature north America’s only marsupial

swipe or use the arrows to see the whole gallery

  • handmade folk art style pottery cup by ken swinson
  • handmade folk art style pottery cup by ken swinson
  • handmade folk art style pottery cup by ken swinson
  • handmade folk art style pottery cup by ken swinson
  • handmade folk art style pottery cup by ken swinson
  • handmade folk art style pottery cup by ken swinson
  • handmade folk art style pottery cup by ken swinson
  • handmade folk art style pottery cup by ken swinson
  • handmade folk art style pottery cup by ken swinson

i don’t sell cups online, but these (and more!) will be on display + sale at my studio in Washington Hall during the Simon Kenton Festival in Old Washington 16 and 17 of September. Hope to see you there!!!

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pottery 24 August 2023

I just opened the kiln and have 9 cute little cups to share TOMORROW at the Pendleton Art Center in Cincinnati.
Cups are all wheel thrown and hand carved/painted. In person sales only-you must hold it in your hand before you can decide-no dibs-first come, first served 5-9pm.

See you tomorrow!

swipe or use arrows to see all the cups

  • folk art pottery cup with fox and chickens kentucky
  • folk art pottery cup cow
  • folk art pot bear throwing pottery cup kentucky
  • folk art pottery cup goat with corn
  • folk art pottery bear cups
  • folk art opossum pottery cup
  • folk art opossum pottery cup
  • folk art pottery flying pig
  • folk art pottery bunny
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Kiln firing 24 January 2023

I just opened the mini kiln, and welcomed 8 new cups to the world.
Some of the cups are decorated with an experimental woodcut transfer process.

This is a significant firing, because it is the FINAL FIRING for this season. I won’t be making any more pottery until Summer 2023.

swipe or use arrows to see all the pottery

  • handmade cup with woodcut underglaze transfers of goat
  • handmade cup with woodcut underglaze transfers of goat and sheep
  • handmade cup with woodcut underglaze transfers of goat and sheep
  • handmade cup with folk art style cardinal surface design
  • handmade cup with folk art style cardinal surface design
  • handmade stoneware cup with folk art surface design of a horse and country house
  • handmade stoneware cup with folk art pig and flowers surface design. there is a heart inbetween the two pigs
  • handmade cup with folk art style decoration of goats and plants

If you’d like to see them (and more) in person. They will be on display this friday (jan 27th) at the Pendleton Art Center – Cincinnati.

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2023-01-21 Kiln Opening

I had a small kiln firing last night (8 cups – 1 plate)

Here are the results!
Use the arrows or swipe to see them all

  • handmade stoneware oval plate with sheep dog chasing sheep surface design
  • handmade stoneware cup with bear taking photos of bunnies design
  • handmade stoneware cup depicting fox taking photos of sheep
  • handmade stoneware cup with bear having a tea party design
  • handmade stoneware cup with fox and hound surface design
  • handmade stoneware cup depicting chickens with yellow background
  • handmade stoneware cup with dog making pottery surface design
  • handmade stoneware cup with terrier and yellow cat surface design
  • handmade stoneware cup with goat woodcut surface design

It’s really hard to get an idea of what a 3d cup looks like from a photo. A video with a 360 view is a little bit better. Seeing them in person-and being able to pick them up and drink from them is still best.

For your reference, I sell cups for $45 and plates for $75. They are only available in person NO ONLINE SALES. You need to pick them up to ‘know’ if it’s the right pot for you. You can find them either on my front porch, or at my studio at the Pendleton Art Center on Final Fridays and by appointment.