Round Bud Vase by Blanket Creek Pottery

Handmade by Paul Borian and Yael Neeman-Borian of Blanket Creek Pottery in Falmouth, Kentucky.

Blanket Creek Pottery is run by Paul Borian and Yael Neeman-Borian, a married couple who work together from their pottery studio in the countryside of Kentucky.

Paul learned the craft during a two-year apprenticeship that began in the summer of 1999, and in 2001 established his own business in a garage.

It remained a one-person studio until he met his wife, Yael, in 2014. Yael came to Kentucky as part of a nature photography trip, taking a break from wedding and studio photography. She had some prior experience with pottery and wanted to further develop her skills. She learned quickly and soon decided to make a career out of ceramic design and photography.

While working together they realized that that they are a match in every way. They got married and now run the business together in total cooperation, expanding the original Blanket Creek brand. Paul does most of the production work, including wheel throwing, slip-casting, formulating and mixing clay and glazes, and firing in a gas kiln to 2,400° F.; while Yael manages the product and glaze development, photography and website development.

For a long time, all the work was done from their garage studio, which became home for rescued cats and dogs that arrived over the years and became part of the family. As the demand for our pottery increased, it became necessary to expand the workshop to have room for better equipment and work more efficiently. In 2019, they built a new pottery studio right next to the garage and kiln shed. They now have improved workstations, an office, a space for product photography, and a packing area that utilizes special equipment for sustainable packing materials.

For the first 12 years, Paul made all items on the wheel, with the idea to eventually incorporate other forming processes. He eventually started researching mold making and slip casting and began the process of developing a casting slip with the same look and durability of the wheel-throwing clay he formulated years before. He started making molds from some of his wheel-thrown pots, and developed with Yael new designs that were impossible to produce consistently on a pottery wheel. 

This product is handmade from start to finish in their studio. Each piece of pottery is unique and was designed to be fully functional for daily use. Slight variations in size and glaze are to be expected and part of what makes handmade pottery special. All the pottery is food safe and can be used in a dishwasher, oven and microwave.

Find more work from Blanket Creek Pottery here.