Soup & Salad

Each design in every collection we offer you expresses a sense of drama and flair to whatever happens to be served. 

The Snail & Cabbage Collection is

Classic.

Elegant.

with a sense of Humor....

Soup & Salads around the world shout out "thanks"!  No more humdrum beginnings to uninspired lunches and dinners.....finally, we have someone standing up for us....bold and beautiful.....confident and sure.....we're proud to begin a meal when set with a "tablescape of wonder" by Beyond Jordan.   

Come see us at the show in Atlanta!  

Oh, So Vein

The veins on our porcelain platters come to life, almost pulsating with every ebb and flow of the conversation around the table.  

Almost.

Capturing the very nature of a cabbage leaf demands that the leaf be cast off an original living specimen.

And porcelain has the unique ability to transmit the details and near-lifelike softness and subtleness of a wonder of creation....such as the network of veins in a leaf, like a cabbage leaf.   

In fact, our entire newest collection "Snail & Cabbage" group of decorative serveware and tabletop all feature the subtle and soft impressions taken from one of the largest cabbages I've ever seen.  This cabbage was among many in a pyramid of green and purple orbs for sale this Fall at a produce stand in McMinnville which is down the valley from our studio.  

While still fresh and plump....veins full of life, we cast the cabbage into plaster as the foundation for our molds.  These molds then receive the liquid "slip" porcelain and transfer the design to the finished product.  

But it all starts with a live, fresh, cabbage.  A specimen.  One that you now can have on your table for every special occasion....as fresh as though brought in from the garden just this morning...so fresh in fact, we've caught Momma Snail and her two children in tow just as they were finishing up their lessons for the day.

We hope you enjoy our newest collection, classic in every dimension and hand-crafted with care in our Salem, Oregon studio.   Sure to be the center of attention at your next special dinner occasion!   (Available March 2009)

Digging, Carving, Scratching.......Sculpting!

An idea lies within the block of plaster.  Getting the idea out into the open ...... that's the labour of inspiration that includes digging, carving, scraping, scratching, all combined into an effort that is artistically called "sculpting".  

Mostly though, sculpting is just a lot of hard work.  Hard work towards an idea that in the mind's eye is something beautiful and worthy of the hard work.  

Hard work at scratching along toward a goal.  Digging a little deeper to find and shape that idea.  Scraping around the edges to get rid of the extraneous stuff that always seems to be in the way.

Sculpting is like most things in life.  A lot of hard work and a lot of long hours to get rid of everything that doesn't fit the idea or goal you have in mind.  A lot of inspiration and energy spent to create something of lasting value.  Something beautiful.  Something to be treasured.  

So keep digging, carving, scratching, and scraping on your masterpiece .... your life ...... so that one day it too will be called a sculpture ..... a work of art!  

Mist

Comfort food.  Comfort friends. Comfort colors.....  That is the new expression we've found in our "Mist Green" glaze offering on our Coastal Collection series.   Variegated and mottled with hints of amber, dark shades of khaki and an overall mid-tone "Mist" green color, this new glaze when contrasted against a simple Eggshell White color create a tablescape of artistic tranquility....a breath of Pacific Northwest ocean breeze...with a cup of coffee peering through the Mist Green forest canopy....  A new color way that finds a way to comfort.  

Dramatic Offering

If that Giant Clam harvested off the Oregon Coast in the mid-20th century could talk......  it would say how proud it is to have been the inspiration and source of the centerpiece in Beyond Jordan's Coastal Collection!   Well, maybe not exactly in those words, but I suspect the dramatic scene this Event Bowl now commands at center stage, may well have made that Giant Clams' speechless!  

Perhaps your friends will be speechless too when they see your table set with these objects of art. 

All Natural

"Nature's best"...... or perhaps..... "All Natural" ...... you hear these phrases and think no additives, no chemicals, no growth hormones, no nothing but what came from the hand of our Creator. All Natural.

Well...our products were in fact cast off of all natural shells harvested off the Oregon coast back in the mid-20th century, BUT....as with most things that are "all natural", they tend to be a little "better" with an added twist, or added ingredient, or an added accent here or there.

And so it is, that our designs start "all natural", but end up "new and improved" by some judicious care taken to make your chowder bowls food-safe, and your plates tabletop friendly, and your serving bowls microwave suitable. Yes, "all natural", but better.......

Air-loom Quality

Windmills in Eastern Oregon power our kilns, our lights, our computers....everything electrical in our studio is powered by AIR.    Our local utility provides homes and businesses the option of paying more, (a lot more in our case with kilns running every night), for their power by electing "renewable resources" in their billing profile.  

We elected Windmill power as our option, and while we pay more for it..... we think its worth the investment in our future, and in our children's future.    While our products are of heir-loom quality and should be passed down to the next generation, we know that we've done our part to ensure the next generation's future by doing so with air-power.

Hand-Crafted

 You may have heard "hand-crafted" in the past and not thought much of it.  In today's high-volume, machine-made, cookie-cutter world, is there a place for affordable hand-crafted heirloom-quality Made-in-the-USA porcelain serveware and decorative tabletop designs?   

Well...we think so!  Imagine the dinner party conversation that begins with a comment about how "unique" your table settings is, and follows with your tale of how the plates, bowls, and service items are porcelain and made in Salem, Oregon and ends with a springboard into today's hottest topics with a few points about our products Eco-Friendly roots.....starting with our hand-crafted care to bring you a tablescape of wonder..... Now that's a story to start a party!

Vapor

One slight imperfection. An air pocket hiding in one of the walls. And the surrounding clay is just a little too damp.....a little too wet.......we were in a little bit of a rush to get this Giant Clam Shell Event Bowl out to a customer.

BANG!~

At some point over 212 degrees, the water vaporized and most of it escaped to the outside of the clay. But that one small imperfection. That one cavity of air. That home to a steam cauldron. Yes, that one hidden and small defect once exposed to the heat of transformation became exposed for the flaw that it was. And exploded.

Thankfully, the walls of the kiln made sure no one was injured by this explosion. By exposing the defect, preventing a mess all over the studio, and by protecting anyone from getting hurt by the explosion, I guess you could say that the kiln is the clay's best friend, even while it applies the heat!

Greenware

Greenware seems like an eco-friendly term, doesn't it?  With a view of the heavily forested Cascade Mountain range out our front door, it seems like the right place to have "green"ware in our studio, doesn't it?

Really, all it means is that the porcelain plate used by the elegant restaurant where you most recently dined shares a common journey from its inception with our porcelain serveware and plates......they were all poured (or pressed) at some point and began drying out.  

They lost about 3% of their size when the water evaporated out of their pores.  And the lump of clay that remains is "green"....it is not fired....it is barely held together by just the least of physical attraction.   A mere jolt and it fractures.  A sideways look at it and it crumbles.  

Fragile.

But after the test of the fires, it comes through with a chemical and physical bond.   Vitrified and joined nearly in the same way as glass.  An amazing transformation with another 10% smaller in size, but strong and durable and lightweight.......and beautiful!

A remarkable journey from Greenware to Tableware.   The humble porcelain plate may have found a new admirer after learning this.......

Aqua Blush

A cosmopolitan statement!

Our initial offering in our Coastal Collection included a striking and dramatic Aqua Blush color way that has a high transparency and depth which accentuates all the shell's natural forms.

This color way was especially popular with Coastal Galleries and Aquarium Gift Shops including the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago as well as the Baltimore and Seattle Aquariums.

This Aqua Blush was first offered on our initial product launch in January 2008.

If you're looking for a dramatic splash of color on your tabletop expression, consider these unique Shell forms in this bold color.