Foxfield — Studio Edition Foxware by Timothy S Kelly

Greenford, Ohio — Est. 1980

Originally The Foxfield Atelier

Foxfield sprang to life in Greenford, Ohio in 1980. From the beginning, the purpose was singular: to create studio edition fox-themed artware in vitreous china and earthenware bodies.

A nationally recognized collection of horse show trophies was also part of the original production, but this work was discontinued in 2005 to focus entirely on the fox.

The name changed to Foxfield Ltd. in 1989. The devotion to the craft never did.

The Journey

1978

A fox wanders into the work and never quite leaves. The mark is claimed, quietly, as FOXFIELD.

1980

The studio takes on a name of its own — the Foxfield Atelier. Horses gallop in alongside the fox, the first Buckeye Sweepstakes trophies taking shape in clay, while "Functional Foxware" starts finding its way into the world.

1980s

The Foxware makes its first trade-show appearance and word travels fast — soon it's on shelves across a good many states. New foxes, new horses, new plaques, one after another. By 1989 the studio has grown into its lasting name: Foxfield Ltd.

1992

The award work steps onto a national stage at the Arabian Horse Association Convention. Meanwhile, out west, Coldwater Creek falls for a trio of fox ornaments — and orders 4,200 of them.

1995

A move to Pittsburgh, and the name returns to the original — just FOXFIELD, circa 1978.

2005

The horse molds are finally let go, and the Foxware quiets. What remains is the fox — always, really, the point of the whole thing.

Today

Still sculpting, still firing, still keeping company with vulpes, vulpes — one piece at a time.

The Craft

A Vision Emerges

Something strikes the mind's eye — an expression, a trick of the light on fur, an unlikely pose caught in the wild — and inspiration takes hold, spurring the slow work of forming the model structure.

Reproduction Commences

Then comes the arduous part: a plaster mold drawn from the original, then a permanent rubber master cast from it — the figure's one true likeness, from which every piece to follow will descend.

A New Direction

As the years bend the hand that shapes them, I can no longer recreate the true-to-life palette and airbrush method of the prime era, so pieces are now fired at a lower, mid-range temperature in a stoneware slip body. The palette, too, is opening to variable options, described piece by piece in the 2023–Present section of the Collection.

Inquiries

Interested in a piece from the collection, or just a little curious? Tim welcomes inquiries from collectors and admirers of the fox.

Thank you — Tim will be in touch soon.

A Small Indulgence

Vita Vulpes

Transforming unformed clay into likeness through patience and perseverance is my life's work. Here, I take a four-part detour — because even the most solemn kiln deserves a little whimsy.

— hover a quadrant, try a color, create

Send Tim your favorite combo