Edwin Scheir (also born in 1910) was raised in Brooklyn NY, where he apprenticed to an Austrian ceramicist. While working as a field supervisor in Virginia in 1937, Edwin met Mary. Initially, the couple worked as puppeteers, traveling the country until they settled down in Tennessee. They worked the night shift at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Ceramic Laboratory and as such were permitted to use the studio. This was when the couple really gained an interest in and perfected their pottery craft.
The Scheirs opened Hillcrock Pottery in 1938. They had limited funds and even used the wheel from their car as a pottery wheel. At the American Ceramic Society conference in 1940, the couple met David Campell, the director of the League of New Hampshire Arts and Crafts. He invited them to lead the University of New Hampshire ceramics program, and they accepted. It was at this post that the well-recognized “Scheir” art pottery was created.
Their body of work has influences from folk pottery that the couple saw in their early years together. Mary threw most of the pieces, while Ed did the majority of the glazing. Mary’s forms were well known for their thin walls and elegant curvature and she often added decorations with freehand brushing. From the 1940s to the 1960s, Scheir pottery produced their famous “boiler plate pottery”. This was art pottery intended for everyday use while also featuring incredible designs and glazes. The designs that Mary and Edwin focused on were inspired by human expression, biblical themes, primitive imagery, and surrealism. Most pieces are marked with “Scheir”.