Photo: Southern Highland Craft Guild
Photo: Southern Highland Craft Guild
Photo: Southern Highland Craft Guild
Photo: Southern Highland Craft Guild

Bottle

USA, 1900
Southern Highland Craft Guild Collection
Date acquired:
Materials:
Stoneware
Form - Functional: N/A
Form - Sculptural: N/A
Method:
Thrown
Surface Technique: N/A
Kiln Type: N/A
Glazes:
Glaze
Sandra Jean Blain

Sandra Blain is known for functional hand built and thrown studio pottery which has changed and evolved over the years. During the 1960?s and 1970?s Blain focused on producing hand built functional stoneware work. In the 1980?s and 1990?s Blain began using earthenware to create thrown or hand built sculptural and functional works.

After her retirement, she continued to create sculptural and functional works of stoneware or earthenware creating a body of work by manipulating and combining both thrown and hand built components. The surfaces of these pieces are characterized by relief surfaces either made by carving and building up the surfaces or by impressing found objects into the damp clay. Slips and glazes are then drawn, brushed, stenciled, and airbrushed surfaces often added between multiple firings.

Blain gathers discarded materials which she uses to create surface textures on her work and in doing so makes a statement about the throwaway mentality of contemporary society.

Blain was an influential teacher throughout her career and after her retirement from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Southern Highland Craft Guild Collection

Blain in other collections

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Note:

These records have been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced.

Last updated: April 22, 2026

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