Biography
Gene Thornton-Brennan
Gene Thornton-Brennan was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and lived there until she was 22. Since then she has lived from coast to coast and has family all over the world.
Gene’s first experience with ceramics was when she was about 5 years old with her paternal grandmother as her teacher. She always enjoyed any kind of craft, but ceramics were always her favorite past time.
While living in Southern Utah during the early 70’s, Gene taught all kinds of crafts, such as, decoupage, plaster crafts, macramé, pressed flower stationary, etc. In 1973, the family, consisting of Gene, her husband Garry, son Ted, and daughter Amy, moved from Southern Utah to Rawlins, Wyoming. It was there that Gene took her first “formal” ceramic classes. She was hooked and became Duncan Certified shortly after exhausting her teacher’s classes in Rawlins. Gene and Garry bought out 3 other basement shops in the area and started G & G Ceramics; housing the business in their 4 bedroom rental house that was located next door to their own home. Gene conducted classes 6 days and 4 evenings a week. Those were the hay days for ceramics. The slip was made from the clay powders and chemicals mixed in an old Dexter Washing Machine. Gene was fascinated when she returned to pouring greenware years later, to find it in 2 gallon boxes.
In 1980, the family moved to Denver, Colorado after selling G&G Ceramics to Peggy Gaston who renamed the shop “Peggy’s Pots”. Peggy had been one of Gene’s students and she continued to teach for Peggy for several months after selling her the business.
Gene continued to teach ceramics in her home, at Jeffco Ceramics in Lakewood and Adult Education Classes at Red Rocks Community College. She also taught in her home. The family lived on a 40 acre farm where they raised Morgan Horses. Gene also worked a full-time job for the Federal Government, sold Mary Kay Cosmetics and bar tended on weekends. It was a very busy 8 years on the farm. Gene and Garry divorced in 1988 and Gene moved to Denver with Ted and Amy. In 1990 Gene met Jim Brennan and they married in 1993. This is when travel became a way of life. Jim worked as an installer for AT&T and was transferred from place to place. Just a few of the places they lived were Ft. Lauderdale & South Miami, Florida; Costa Mesa & Oxnard, California; Denver, Colorado and finally Houston, Texas.
Jim & Gene have been in Texas since 1997. Gene became a Director in Mary Kay Cosmetics for a short time and then returned to being just a Consultant; she ran her own cleaning business and worked for M&T Ceramics cleaning greenware. It was the last job that got her back into the ceramic business. Gene started teaching classes in her home while working for M&T. The house was soon outgrown by the business and Jim and Gene purchased a business property between Manvel and Alvin, Texas. Their business, Brennan’s Pride EnterpriZes, grew rapidly as a full service ceramic shop. Brennan’s became Distributors for Doc Holliday and other ceramic suppliers. Brennan’s was noted for bringing many National teachers in the industry, such as David Hoff and Connie Bailes, in to be guest teachers at the shop. .
Gene teaches porcelain dolls, lace draping, hand building, all types of decorative techniques for earthenware, porcelain, stoneware and glass. Her favorite thing to teach is brush strokes. She continues to attend all the ceramic education opportunities she can to expand her knowledge and to keep up on what’s new in ceramics.
Jim and Gene recently downsized Brennan’s Pride and have the business property for sale or lease. The plan is for Gene to travel teach and sell Doc Holliday products, porcelain and earthenware clay, Form-A-Leaf and Rex Tools, at industry and craft shows. Jim will continue his kiln sales and repairs and also come along to the shows. They will move to Colorado to be closer to the grandchildren (28 in all!), but expect to return to Texas during the cold time of year.
Gene hopes to see you soon at one of her classes in Colorado, Texas, or wherever she is invited to teach. She is excited to be a traveling teacher to share her love of ceramics.
You can email Gene or Jim at whtrabbit@att.net , or check out Brennan’s Pride’s web site at www.ceramicsetc.net . If you have any questions for Gene you can reach her on her cell phone: 832-621-5338.
