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How It Started:
Blanket Creek Pottery is run by Paul Borian and Yael Neeman-Borian,
a married couple who works together from their pottery studio in the countryside of Kentucky.
Paul learned the craft during a two-year apprenticeship, and in 2001 established his own business from the ground up, one wheel-thrown pot at a time.
It remained a one-person studio until he met his wife, Yael, in 2014.
Yael, formerly a wedding photographer who also studied some ceramics and business managment, married Paul and became his business partner shortly after they started working together. She left her country and started a new life by his side.
Paul was mostly wholesaling the pottery from the start, with the plan to eventually selling retail online.
But it was a one-man business for a long time, and there is only so much one person can do.
The challenge of filling orders for galleries and gift shops throughout the country kept him very busy and left little time to become a retailer of his work.
Once Yael joined the business, selling retail became possible.
She started photographing the items, opened an Etsy shop, and built this website.
Who Does What:
Paul and Yael work in total cooperation and continuously develop new product lines that combine aesthetics and functionality.
Paul does the production work, which includes wheel throwing, slip casting, formulating & mixing in-house clay and glazes, and firing in a gas kiln at 2,400 °F.
Yael focuses on product & glaze design, photography, and managing the online stores.
The Workspace/Workshop:
For a long time, all the work was done from their garage studio, which doubles as a home for rescued cats and dogs that arrived over the years and became part of the family.
As the demand for the pottery increased, it became clear that it’s time to expand the workshop in order to have room for better equipment and work more efficiently.
In 2019, They finally built a new pottery studio right next to the garage and kiln shed, where they now have improved workstations, an office, a packing area, and space for product photography.
How It’s Made:
Until 2014, Paul was making every single item on the wheel. At some point he realized that using slip casting for some of the items makes much more sense; It’s less strenuous, the size and shapes are more consistent, and it allows them to develop unique designs that can’t be made on the wheel.
He started making molds for items he was wheel throwing before, and developed with Yael new designs that can be made only with molds.
You can see some pictures of this process in these two albums: Designing Prototypes and Mold Making & Slip Casting.
If you are interested to see more, you are welcome to visit the How It's Made page for a summery of the production process, or go to the Workshop Image Gallery where you can find more pictures with detailed captions that explain the various steps.
About The Pottery:
Each piece of pottery is unique and was designed to be fully functional for daily use.
Slight variations in size & glaze are to be expected, and part of what makes handmade pottery special.
You are invited to the Shop, where you can find a verity of mugs, bowls, plates, kitchenware, vases, and bath accessories. All can be offered as gifts for any occasion, such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, etc.
All the pottery is food safe and can be used in a dishwasher, oven and microwave.
Please feel free to contact us with any questions.