Split Apart Art

Split Apart Art is a collaboration between Lulu DeGan and Thomas DeGan. The partnership developed out of a love for pottery, art, and their love for each other. You will find incredibly detailed flowers, lace and aboriginal (dot work) designs on the pottery and reclaimed furniture pieces. Functional pottery is always a focus married with an artistic flair, some feminine (Lulu’s Tea Cups are a work of art!) and some masculine (check out Thomas’ Whiskey Barrel Mugs that any pirate would be proud of!).
What’s with the name?
The idea is that the soul was “split-apart” and separated from each other– and, since that time, the two halves have been forever searching for one another in order to join together and regain their sense of original created wholeness. This is how Thomas and Lulu view each other and it is also descriptive of their artwork since it is often a collaboration - Thomas will throw the piece and Lulu will decorate. Each piece will be unique and will always be signed by each or both of the artists. Lulu’s focus is on the decoration process. On the pottery pieces (thrown by either her or Thomas) Lulu meticulously creates the design she envisions with brushes and precision tip applicators using a medium called underglaze. Underglazes are basically a combination of powdered clay, pigment and water. Lulu applies her underglazes to the pottery after it has been thrown to ensure fine detail and rich color. The piece is then fired in a kiln to create a bisqued pottery ware. She then carefully applies a special clear glaze over the piece. This not only protects the artwork on the pottery, but once it is fired in the kiln to cone 6 (2232 degrees F) the clear glaze melts into a protective glass coating.
Lulu also has a variety of furniture that she has “rescued” and applied her decorating techniques
using a variety of paints usually incorporating a touch of metallic color. A clue is usually hidden on each piece (in the form of a quote) to explain the inspiration behind the design.