A Colorado Industry 
the eye in its richness and depth of tone. 
The variety in color is almost endless: 
greens, which run from the freshness and 
brilliancy of spring to the glowing yellow 
tones of autumn; blues, blacks, browns, 
pinks, grays and many strange and unusual 
combinations. The color effects are almost 
entirely due to the glazes, very little under¬ 
glaze painting being done. 
Much of the fascination of pottery lies 
in the freaks of the fire which seems 
capable of playing any trick, sometimes 
ruining the work of days, sometimes 
bringing forth results far beyond one’s ex¬ 
pectations. The ware is sometimes plain, 
relying for its beauty upon the fineness of 
line, color and texture; sometimes decorated, 
human, animal and flower forms being 
worked into designs in a conventional way, 
care being taken that the decoration shall 
form part of the whole, completing the line 
and form of the vase. The Colorado wild 
fiowers form the motifs for much of the 
decoration. 
After the vase leaves the artist’s hands 
a mould is made of it in order that a 
number of reproductions may be made, 
each one being retouched and remodeled by 
hand. Mr. Van Briggle’s idea in this mat¬ 
ter is that it is far more satisfactory to spend 
unlimited time and thought in carrying out 
an idea which may be worthy of repetition, 
each reproduction being different in color 
and glaze effect, than to attempt for every 
vase a new design which must of necessity 
often be careless and hasty in thought and 
execution. Up to this time the designs for 
decoration have all been made by Mr. and 
Mrs. Van Briggle and Mr. George Young, 
each one working out his or her own individu¬ 
ality and yet all working in common for the 
idea which Van Briggle pottery represents, 
dignity, restraint, purity and beauty of line 
and perfect harmony between form and deco¬ 
ration. 
The experiments in tiles having proved 
successful, a tile plant is to be installed 
at once. There is certainly a wide field 
in that line because of the unusual va¬ 
riety of color effects and the delightful 
texture of the glaze. Owing to the dura¬ 
bility of the ware it will doubtless prove 
valuable for garden and outdoor decoration. 
If so much has been done in this short time 
in the face of almost insurmountable ob¬ 
stacles there is reasonable ground for hopes 
of a wider field in the future and who knows 
what may grow out of this small beginning 
in one branch of art. May not other skilled 
workmen who have broken down under the 
strain of life in unfavorable climates be drawn 
to this land of sunshine and dry air where 
health may be regained and life lived hap¬ 
pily ? It would seem that a community of 
craftsworkers might grow up here, giving 
forth the results of brains and hands in 
beautiful metal work, leather and wood carv¬ 
ing as well as in pottery, for there is a market 
the world over for all that is lovingly wrought 
into something of beauty and use. 
TAKING THE WARE FROM THE KILN 
16 8 
