Ceramic Arts Studio is in Madison, Wisconson and was founded in 1940.  They attribute their success in the 1940's to a number of things.  World War II had virtually closed off the import of giftware from overseas, greatly increasing the demand for domestic product. Then there was the uniquely imaginative design... broad decorating strokes to suggest an attitude or theme, artistically heightened realism, vivid colors, as well as a characteristic high gloss glaze.  But the success enjoyed by Ceramic Arts Studio went into a gradual, but irreversible decline, with the end of World War II, and the resumption of overseas imports. Stores with an eye on the bottom line began stocking imported pieces, rather than those by Ceramic Arts and other domestic firms. By 1955, the 500,000 pieces produced annually by CAS in the late 1940s had dwindled to a low of 10,000.  Ceramic Arts Studio closed its doors in 1955. Some of its molds found their way to Japan, where pieces of CAS design, but now in lurid hues, were marketed. Eventually, all molds were destroyed, and the Madison, Wisconsin site once occupied by Ceramic Arts Studio became a parking lot, its only identifier today a State Historical Marker.  Here is the link to the CAS collector site if you want to find our more about this wonderful company - CAScollectors.com

The Water Sprites below are just gorgeous and different than any other mermaids.  There were 3 mermaids and one merman.  They are very scarce and will run towards the $200+ price range for the mermaids... the merman is even more!  But they definitely are pieces any serious mermaid collector should have.