Otto Heino, Prolific Potter, Dies at 94
By Bruce Weber, New York Times
Otto Heino, a prolific ceramicist whose simple, elegantly shaped pots and opulent glazes earned him not just a fortune but also a reputation, which he shared with his wife, Vivika, as the personification of sturdy American artisanship, died July 16 in Ventura. He was 94 and lived in Ojai.
The cause of death was renal failure, said his niece Lillian Heino Long.
Heino (pronounced HIGH-no), a driven craftsman who was said to produce up to 10,000 pieces a year, was known as a purist in his work with clay. He often worked with massive amounts, throwing 50 pounds or more at once to produce his huge signature platters. His pieces were texturally natural, with finger ridges left in them, and he mixed wood ash into the glazes he developed and used, which gave the finished work a velvety depth rather than a perfect luster.
One glaze in particular stood out: He and his wife, who died in 1995, created a rich yellow, said to have been a re-creation of an ancient Asian formula. It was so widely admired that pieces finished with it routinely sold for as much as $25,000.
Heino's work has been shown at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and myriad other public and private galleries. He summed up his career in an interview with The Los Angeles Times last year. "I am the oldest, richest potter in the world," he said.
While many of his contemporaries ventured into sculptural techniques, Heino adhered Advertisement to the household-container model, producing variations on "a vessel format," in the words of Christy Johnson, director of the five-year-old American Museum of Ceramic Art in Pomona, which owns several of Heino's pieces. His shapes included long pods with narrow mouths and tall, neckless vases with horizontally stretched mouths marked at the sides with bits of clay that Heino referred to as birds.
The decorative touches on the work were also simple, influenced by Japanese calligraphy.
"He didn't punch holes in his work or beat it with a stick," Johnson said, comparing Heino with others who experimented with avant-garde shapes. His pots, she added, "may not have held cookies, but they were containers you could use decoratively in a home."
Aho Heino was born in East Hampton, Conn., on April 20, 1915, one of 12 children of Finnish parents who had first settled in Boston. His father was a farmer and later, after the family moved to New Hampshire, ran a milk business, providing fresh milk to a creamery.
Heino took up his potter's craft after returning from World War II, during which he served in Europe. (He changed his name to Otto during the war and claimed later that this, along with his blond hair and blue eyes, saved his life after he was shot down over Germany.)
He studied pottery-making on the GI Bill in Concord, N.H., at the League of New Hampshire Arts and Crafts. His teacher, Vivika Timeriasieff (nee Place), would become his wife. They moved to California in 1950 and began teaching and making pottery. In 1973, they established their workshop and gallery, known as the Pottery, in Ojai, often signing their work "Vivika and Otto," no matter who had made it. They had no children.
Heino is survived by a sister, Olga Rogowski, of Canoga Park.
"Lots of potters idolized him, not just for how he made his work," said Johnson, who has been a potter for nearly 40 years. "For how he operated a studio. For how he lived the lifestyle."
Robert "Bob" Sindelar, 75
Robert (Bob) L. Sindelar (75), Marysville, WA, was called home to our Father on April 24, 2009 after a protracted bout with prostate cancer.
Born in 1933 in Parma, Ohio, Bob graduated from high school in Bradenton FL. Enlisting in the Navy after high school, he was selected for the NROTC program, and attended the Illinois Institute of Technology, where he graduated with a degree in psychology, and a commission as 2nd Lt. In the Marine Corps.
He was posted to the Philippines and later Okinawa, as a platoon leader with 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines; he served his last duty in Parris Island, SC.
After the Marine Corps, Bob moved to New York City where he worked for major advertising agencies: Benton & Bowles, William Esty & Co., and Jack Tinker & Partners, and met his soul mate, Sheila Joan O’Brien. Bob and Sheila were married in 1965 and, in 1968, moved to Miami, FL, and Bob joined Hume-Smith-Mickelberry Advertising. While rising to presidency of Hume-Sindelar & Associates, Bob earned an MBA at the University of Miami.
Retiring in 1994, Bob and his wife moved to Mt. Dora, FL where they ran an antiques business, before moving to Marysville, WA in 2004
Bob was active in the American Marketing Association, American Art Pottery Association; in churches in Miami and Marysville; as a docent for The Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, Fl; and in the Pilchuck Audubon Society.
He is survived by his beloved wife Sheila and his two sons John and Robert, their wives Kristi and Patricia and grandchildren Benjamin and Sophia.
A memorial service was be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Marysville, on May 4, 2009. In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made to the American Cancer Society.
Miami Herald, Orlando Sentinel – Lake County edition
Samuel C. Schott, 85
Of Coventry Township passed peacefully November 10, 2008.
Sam was born in Morristown, Tenn. on December 3, 1922. He was a graduate of Tri-State College in 1944 with a degree in engineering and was named to the Who's Who among students in American Universities and Colleges. He was employed with Firestone T & R as an Engineer inventing the rubber backing for carpet. With his father, Elmer he started Schott Metal Products and later Design Wheel and Hub. He was a member of the Tadmor Shrine and the Sons of Herman.
Preceded in death by his parents, Elmer and Coza; son, David A. Schott Sr. and brother Jim. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Faydelle; grandchildren, David (Tracy) Schott Jr. and Lynn (Woody) Hoff; great-granddaughter, Alyssa Schott; sister, Adelaide (Ralph) Darling; nieces and nephew.
Calling hours will be on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Schermesser Funeral Home, 600 E. Turkeyfoot Lake Road (Route 619). Private family Entombment at Greenlawn Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to Acute Palliative Care Unit, 525 E. Market St., Attn: 3E Akron, Ohio 44309.
Ralph M. Kovel, antiques expert,
died August 28 in Cleveland.
CLEVELAND – September 2, 2008 - Ralph M. Kovel, nationally known antiques author and expert, died Thursday, August 28, 2008, in Cleveland.
In the early 1950s, Kovel came up with the idea of publishing a book that indexed antiques by the factory-specific marks found on the bottom of the pottery. He and his wife, Terry, became nationally known with the publication of their first book, Dictionary of Marks: Pottery & Porcelain, published in 1953. The book led to a weekly question-andanswer column, "Kovels: Antiques & Collecting," syndicated in 1954, which still runs in more than 150 newspapers. It was also the first of 97 books that the couple would coauthor. Ralph Kovel was born in Milwaukee. He moved with his family to Cleveland Heights, Ohio in the 1930s. A Cleveland Heights High School graduate, he attended the Ohio State University, and later taught courses in antiques at Case Western Reserve and John Carroll universities.
Kovel was a food broker at the same time he found success with antiques. In the late 1970s, he purchased a small Cleveland company called Sar-A-Lee. The company was sold in 1989 to Sara Lee Corporation, where he continued as Senior Vice-President of Sara Lee Coffee and Tea's Foods Division until 2000. He never retired. He was president of U.S. Brands, Inc., a Beachwood-based direct marketing firm, and president of Lucayan Aquaculture, a shrimp farm in the Bahamas.
Ralph and Terry Kovel were featured in their own television series on public television, the Discovery Channel and, most recently, on HGTV (Home and Garden Television Network). They wrote columns for Forbes Magazine and House Beautiful. Their articles have appeared in Family Circle, Woman's Day, Redbook, Town and Country, Giftware News and many antiques-related publications. They contributed the "Art, Antiques and Collections: Collectibles" section for Encyclopedia Britannica Book of the Year and were once the prize for a Publishers' Clearing House contest.
Their best-known book, Kovels' Antiques and Collectibles Price Guide, has been published annually since 1968. The 2009 edition was just released. In 1974 the couple began to publish a monthly newsletter, Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles. Their subscription-based newsletter has over 50,000 subscribers and is available in a digital version on the website, Kovels.com, which is visited by over a quarter of a million readers each month.
Ralph Kovel served on the boards of trustees of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, Western Reserve Historical Society, and Public Broadcasting stations WVIZ-TV and WCPNNPR. He won numerous awards for his public service and two Cleveland Emmys for his television work.
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CONTACT: Liz Lillis, Phone: 216.752.2252, Email: pr@Kovels.com, Website: www.Kovels.com
IN MEMORY OF
Stephen E. Sanford
On June 21st 2008, the bay area lost a cherished member of its community. Steve Sanford, owner of Steve Sanford Inc., Len Conrad Photography and founder of Pro Image Studios, died in his home at the age of 65 after a two year bout with brain cancer. His passing was gentle, peaceful and without pain. Steve was known for his keen wit and boundless kindness. He had business savvy, and an unrivaled work ethic. He was a man who knew how to live life to its absolute fullest. Steve was born on September 5th, 1942 in Zanesville, Ohio. He was the second son of Denzil and Vivian Sanford and younger brother to David. He grew up in Roseville where he attended Roseville High School and graduated with the class of 1960. Steve had a big spirit and big plans, and the borders of the quaint rural town could not hold him. Upon graduating from Ohio University with a degree in photography, he accepted a job and came to California where he established himself as a leading figure in the business of school photography. Steve's passions were his wife and family, his pottery and coin collection. He and his wife Martha authored eight books on pottery collecting, the production of which took him back to his roots in Ohio. Steve is survived by his beloved wife Martha, his two daughters Kathryn and Vikki, his two sons Paul and Chris and his two grandchildren Jacob and Savannah. In his final days Steve dreamt he was a knight in a band of golden horsemen in a full charge with sword drawn. He did not know where he was going but he knew he had a purpose. "Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince, And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" -Horatio on Hamlet's death—William Shakespeare. Services were held Thursday, June 26th at Willow Glen Methodist Church at Woodhaven, San Jose, CA.
Published in the San Jose Mercury News on 6/25/2008.