Tony Holman

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Artist/Potter Tony Holman, his wife Debbie, and their daughter Maggie, own and operate Holman Pottery.  Tony and Debbie opened Holman Pottery in 1989.  In July, 1998 the Holman’s purchased an 1890 Victorian home (now commercial property) to house their studio and gallery.

Tony is responsible for design, throwing and decorating.  Tony began to develop his pottery skills in 1978 at Indiana University and fine tuned them in 1980 at Bloomington Pottery.  He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at Indiana University in 1982 and a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of North Texas in 1986.  Debbie handles the business and marketing operations.  In addition, she helps with some steps of pottery production and design.  She received two Bachelor of Business degrees from Texas A & M in 1985.

Tony throws most of the pots on a potters wheel.  Others are slab constructed and altered.  When the pots become leather-hard (halfway between wet and dry) handles are added and each piece is signed.  Upon becoming completely dry, the pottery is loaded into a gas kiln.  These pots are then fired to a temperature of 1830 degrees Fahrenheit.  Upon unloading the kiln, they are glazed and some are decorated with colored clays (slips) and oxides.  They are then fired a second time to a temperature of 2336 degrees Fahrenheit.  These extreme temperatures ensure the durability of the pottery.

The shapes of Tony’s vessels are functional, but can simply be decorative.  He covers a wide range of colors and pattern through brushwork and sponged-on design.  Close attention is paid to the finished touches of this pottery including the way the handles are attached and Tony’s unique way of completing the lids and rims.  Because Holman Pottery is handcrafted, no two are exactly alike.  Therefore, the variations of color, texture and shape lend to the artistic nature of this pottery and should by no means be considered defective.