Hi everyone I’m new here & I have a question

Hello everyone! I’m new here and I’ve been reading your threads from the past and you guys are so very helpful! So my sister-in-law just started an Estate sales business and I’m working for her and we came across this pottery and I’ve tried to find the maker but come up with nothing. The only marking on all the pieces is the same 3 initials which I think are “Jhl” anyone recognize this potter? Thank you in advance to everyone.

 

Studio pottery is a nightmare to identify. I'd start with looking for local art potters where it was bought.

 

Thank you for the advice!

 

Welcome, LisaLou! Could be JW instead of Jhl.

OBB is spot on. Studio work is tough, so knowing the potters in your area can really come in handy. Most of it doesn't seem to travel too far from home.

This is a great website for identifying artists' signatures and it's very user friendly. It's a good one to bookmark...you'll use it often!
https://www.themarksproject.org

 

Hi and welcome!

This person reads it as Ohl and that seems plausible though they think it's Japanese. There is a Kelly Jean Ohl pottery but I don't know if this is hers. If you have an account on Worthpoint you could find the sales price (I don't have an account there).

It could even be OW or as suggested, some other initials.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/studio-art-pottery-sake-bottle-1869072412

 

Great find, SIS! The one on Worthpoint sold for $25.00

 

Kelly Jean Ohl sells her things on Etsy. You could ask her if it's her work.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/812606...kelly+jean+ohl&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&frs=1&sca=1

 

I thought I'd seen some of this stuff before, I just checked and I have a piece of this!
IIRC I found out at the time (years back) that this was a Washington State potter and made a note of the maker's name *somewhere* ..I'll try and find the name and report back if successful.

 

I think you might have quite a good score there - I only have one measly piece!

I guess my filing system is still operational because I found the entry!

here you go:

The pot is by Janetta L. Nelson. She was an early female Washington potter.

from my files:

Janetta L. Nelson, 80, of Olalla died Jan. 31, 1999.

She was born Aug. 22, 1918, in Puyallup to Charles and Cora Lawson. She was raised and educated in Orting. She later attended Washington State University , majoring in fine arts and graduating Phi Kappa Phi in 1939.

In 1941, she married Carl Nelson and they moved to Port Orchard. He preceded her in death.

Mrs. Nelson worked as an art teacher in South Kitsap and Bremerton school districts, and was art coordinator for the Bremerton School District at the end of her career. She retired from teaching in the late 1970s after an illness.

She assembled and prepared the Olalla portion of the "History of Kitsap County" published by the Kitsap County Historical Society in 1977, and was active in the Sydney Historical Association.​

 

I found this example said to be Nelson's. Is yours marked like this blooey? Sort of similar but I'm not sure.

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/54597202_janetta-nelson-northwest-studio-pottery

 

Hi @say_it_slowly - no my piece is signed just like the OP's and also an earthenware - I think the sig on ours may be earlier than the one at auction, it is similar enough to be the same potter but looks like a later style and body ...

- Most Northwest potters were working in local clays and earthenwares before Luke Lindoe and Olea Davis got going with Plainsman, so not unusual to see earthenwares being produced up here in the 50's and 60's.

 

Thank you so for the help and the link!

 

That’s it!! That’s the mark I’ve been looking at it for days. I appreciate your time and effort
Thank you.

 

The pots are definitely the older, probably 1960's work of Janetta Nelson as I mentioned above - and stylistically VERY distant from the work of the fairly contemporary Ohl person.

The initials are more than likely "J NL" and not "OHL" as been suggested.

Anyway, good luck with them.