Don Bebout

When my older son left a pottery wheel in my garage before departing for UCLA in the fall of 1985, the die was cast; soon I was taking evening classes at local Austin pottery studios.  But even as I became more and more involved in pottery, it still remained secondary to my career as a research geologist at the University of Texas.  However, my interest in design and production of pottery increased through encouragement from friends and acquaintances and by rapidly increasing sales.  Finally, in 1994, I retired from the University and became a full-time potter.

Art Festivals and Galleries

From 1995-2002 I entered 10 to 12 arts and crafts festivals per year, mostly in Texas but also occasionally in Arizona, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Pennsylvania.  However, in late 2002, I stopped doing the festivals and am now selling my pottery only at art galleries and stores, mostly in Texas but also in Pennsylvania and California.

About the Pottery

Hand-built decorations are characteristic of most of Don Bebout's pottery.  His first venture into hand-built decorations resulted when his younger son placed an order for bowls with red  peppers, a trademark of his silk-screen business.  A broad line of red pepper bowls, mugs, and other items resulted. Don seldom produces the red-pepper pottery any more, but has now added the red lady bug to some of his pieces. Don's wife and daughter encouraged him to add  the interesting and fun small Gulf Coast lizard, the Green Anole, to his bird feeders.  Don was later asked by friends and customers to add this lizard to other items.  That’s how  he became known as “the lizard guy.”More recently one of Don's geologist friends brought to his attention the fascinating Pecos River Indian rock art on limestone bluffs near Del Rio, Texas.  Since then he has been painting figures adapted from this art on mugs, bowls, and other pieces.  Don uses only stoneware clay fired to 2246 degrees F (cone 6) in an electric kiln.  His pieces are wheel thrown and the decorations are hand built and hand drawn.  All Don's pottery is safe in the microwave and dishwasher, but abrupt temperature changes in the conventional oven should be avoided.   And, all Don's glazes are lead free.