Chester Nicodemus moved from Dayton, Ohio to Columbus in 1930 to teach at the Columbus Art School. During this time he commissioned sculptures, water fountains, vases, limestone and woodcarvings. In 1941 he left the field of teaching to pursue pottery making full time, using local red clay containing a large amount of iron. He called the ware Ferro-stone because of its durability. He made teapots and other utility wares but because of market changes he began  producing animal and bird sculptures, nativity sets and Christmas ornaments. His glaze colors included turquoise or aqua, ivory, green mottle, pussy willow (pink), and golden yellow. The glaze was applied so that the warm color of the red clay would show through, adding an extra dimension to each piece. Examples usually bear the  impressed mark, "Nicodemus."  A protégé, Ellen Jennings,  designed many of the smaller animals. These are usually marked with the initials “E. J.” with the word “Nicodemus” also present.  His works are highly prized today.  As more collectors discover his superior talent, they are seeing prices escalate.