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These
vases were thrown by Eric Hellman while at Broadmoor in
Colorado Springs. He developed the swirl finish painting technique in
Minnesota,
or maybe earlier in Denmark, before coming to the United States in 1929.
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Michelle
Lee (Nemadji
"Indian" Pottery) relates an
exchange
between longtime employees Harold and Dorothy Wahlstrom. In
the
account the Wahlstoms use Hellman's "cold stripe" colorizing
technique that he introduced to Namadji in 1929.
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'We
used Pittsburgh® Paint. I'd take a stick and dip it into the cans
and
the paint would drip onto the water and float.' ...
'We'd put a little vinegar in the water,' ... 'It would help
the various colors of paint expand into each other. There were wide and
narrow bands floating on the water.'
'Then Dorothy would blow onto the paint as it floated on the water. The
paint would move outward, leaving a circle of clear water on the
surface. She would then grab a vase and put it down into the clear
water,' ...
'The paint would then move back to the middle of the washtub and adhere
to the pot. She would then twist it slightly as she pulled the pot out
of the tub.'
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Both
Broadmoor vases were painted using this "cold stripe"
technique. Only the outsides have the swirl finish. |
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We
wonder if Eric Hellman may have thrown, fired and finished these
vases
at his own studio. The brown clay is unusual for Broadmoor. In
all other cases we know of Broadmoor pottery had a mostly white clay
body.
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