Teco Pottery is considered Prairie School style which is an offshoot of the American Arts and Crafts Movement and is often associated Frank Lloyd Wright. Most Teco Pottery is considered geometric or organic design. Both styles of Teco ware are highly sought after by collectors, however arts and crafts collectors and Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts typically prefer the geometric Teco forms.
Teco Pottery represents one of the more successful compromises between hand crafted arts and crafts pottery and mass production. Most Teco Pottery was molded, however some of the most sought-after vases were molded and hand-crafted features added.
Teco’s geometric ware is very compatible with arts and crafts interiors. The soft, matte green and browns often seen on Teco, works very well with arts and crafts period furniture. And the angularity of the handles on the geometric forms reinforces the straight lines of the arts and crafts style.
Organic Teco designs are a blend of Art Nouveau and Prairie School. The organic designs are often bold and striking with leaf like and swirling handles. As with geometric Teco art pottery, organic vases are often found in matte green, however Teco produced other popular colors as well including shades of brown, blue and yellow. Other colors include maroon, pink, and cream.
It is not unusual to find geometric and organic Teco with damage to the handles due to the sharp handle edges and the clay that was not overly hard after firing. Most collectors are typically forgiving for minor nicks, chips and repairs on better Teco art pottery.
