Robert Behr and Leah Rollins
studio images  |  installation pictures

*About Coco. Coco is a three year old trained grizzly bear living in Montana.  She does movies, commercials and photos shoots.

For over thirty years Robert Behr has actively pursued the art of Ceramics. From his first pottery course in high school to completing college at Colorado State University with a degree in Art, Robert has evolved from a full-time production potter doing functional pottery to creating one of a kind decorative art pieces selling in high-end galleries throughout the country. At the present, he and his partner, Leah, work together to produce each vessel that tributes the wildlife and reflects the idyllic lifestyle they enjoy high in the Crazy Mountains of Montana. Each "Spirit Vessel" is thrown in one to four sections using multiple wheels, taking several days.

When the clay is leather hard the sections are put together on a single wheel and allowed to dry for a month. The first firing is called a "bisque", a firing that lasts 8 hours to harden the clay so it can be handled and glazed. Leah creates and tests the glazes, using 30 percent wood ash from their wood burning stove and numerous glaze materials, then makes the final application. Back for a second firing to 2350 degrees Fahrenheit (cone 12), reaching that of porcelain temperatures- this firing takes up to 16 hours to complete. Cooling takes several more days and the vessel is then ready for embellishing with beads, bones, antlers and found artifacts. The animal figures are works of art on their own. The initial carving is completed followed by the making of a master mold, and multiples are then produced in bronze or ceramic. From a ball of clay to the final rendering, the process of each art piece can take up to two months to complete.

There are only a few artists today working in this medium of producing large scale high-fired stoneware. While living in Montana, with special admiration for the abundant wildlife, and enjoying the process of using these materials, Robert and Leah continue to discover themselves through the making of art.

When Robert and Leah setup at a show, they bring the full impact of their work together. Here are some recent images taken from shows they have installed their work in.