Polia Pillin Ceramics
Polia Pillin, née Sunockin, was born on September 1, 1909, in Częstochowa. She came to Chicago from Poland in 1924 to work an industrial job that allowed her to support her family overseas. She began to take art classes at the Jewish People's art institute in the evenings and dreamed of supporting herself as an artist. In 1938, she married William Pillin, who had fled persecution in Ukraine with his family and settled in Chicago and they lived in New Mexico. After the birth of their first child, they returned to Chicago, where she had her first show of paintings at the Chicago Art Institute. She became fascinated with clay and in 1946 she took a six-week course in pottery which was her only formal training. She set up a studio in her kitchen, complete with a wheel and electric kiln and soon her innovative works were in high demand. By the 1960s, the Pillins, now collaborating on throwing pots and developing glazes, were selling pottery faster than they could produce it. Polia Pillin's pieces are instantly recognizable. Her technique involves painting on pieces with colored clays while they were still wet and then double-firing using a transparent glaze which produced a high gloss finish. Her pieces, both paintings and pots, feature whimsical figures of people and animals. Her style was informed both by her Eastern European heritage and by her surroundings in New Mexico. She has won numerous awards from Los Angeles County Art Institute in 1949, Syracuse Museum of Fine Art in 1950 and California State Fair in 1951.
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
1950s American Modern Vintage Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
1950s English Mid-Century Modern Vintage Polia Pillin Ceramics
Stoneware
20th Century Egyptian Hollywood Regency Polia Pillin Ceramics
Malachite
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Revival Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Italian Post-Modern Polia Pillin Ceramics
Travertine
Mid-20th Century North American Polia Pillin Ceramics
Pottery
Mid-20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Polia Pillin Ceramics
Marble
Mid-20th Century American Polia Pillin Ceramics
Brass
Mid-20th Century English Neoclassical Revival Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century North American Polia Pillin Ceramics
Pottery
20th Century Italian Mid-Century Modern Polia Pillin Ceramics
Alabaster, Metal
1970s English Victorian Vintage Polia Pillin Ceramics
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century French Art Deco Polia Pillin Ceramics
Porcelain
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
1960s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic, Paint
1950s American Mid-Century Modern Vintage Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic
20th Century American Polia Pillin Ceramics
Ceramic