Steven Provence Pottery

We first spied the eye catching designs and gorgeous glazes of Steven Provence Pottery this summer in the small display of his work for sale at one of our favorite Bend stores, Ginger’s Kitchenware. (
) A beautiful array of pottery pieces in designs from geometric to sort of botanically inspired patterns and glaze colors that are «ahhhh…» worthy. The pieces captured our attention for their art and their functional potential. We thought they were elegant in the combination of usefulness and organic simplicity in the designs.
We went to visit Steven’s pottery studio this week to look through additional options in searching out a couple of coffee mugs that matched given they were to be a gift, the gift recipient likes matched things and Ginger’s had only singletons in mugs when we went back to make our purchase there. We’re so glad we got to visit with Steven, what a likable guy he is in addition to being a talented artist, and see his new studio location.
I have some Steven Provence Pottery bowls for daily use on my holiday wish list. But my husband and I also saw mugs and platters and plates and pitchers and trivets and bakers to admire. Not to mention bowls and platters large enough to be display pieces that sing to us too.
I’ve included photos here but I’m a lousy photographer and can’t begin to capture how wonderful are these designs and glazes. So I’ve also inserted a photo from the Steven Provence Pottery Facebook page that does a better job than I can of showing the range of work.
As postscript, this is another of those stories in the unfolding short story book of how Bend’s economic collapse in places like the building industry due to the implosion of the high flying Real Estate speculation market has had good implications in other areas. Because while the «Aspen wannabe» boom was going in, folks like Steven and his business partner and wife had trouble affording commercial rents in Bend. He was previously working out of private garage space. But with the decline in rental rates in Bend, he’s able to move his studio into a large space which will be easier for shoppers to come visit and see his work.
Everybody wins in that arrangement. Everything is connected.
If you’re looking for something beautiful and functional for your home or as a gift for someone else’s, Steven Provence Pottery is a good place to start. You can find it at Ginger’s Kitchenware or at his studio. (Both Ginger’s and Steven ship.)
Tips —
1) Call before you go to the studio. Although hours are listed as Fridays and Saturdays from 10 — 5, either Steven or his wife are sometimes at the studio at other times. And sometimes away on weekends for shows.
2) For my Unilocal friends and others who use wheelchairs, canes or crutches, the studio is completely accessible from level in entry. But helpful to know in advance that the parking lot of the complex in which the building sits does not have designated accessible parking.