I have had several recent inquiries regarding the Black and Seagull glaze pattern. Rowantrees was once asked by the Maine Republican Party to produce a set of dinnerware in this patter for Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower when they made a trip to Maine in the 1950s. A set of what became known as the Eisenhower pattern now sits in the Smithsonian Institute’s Presidential China collection. I don’t believe it’s on permanent display, but it’s there.
And I made much of it!
Sheila Varnum resurrected Black and Seagull while I was working at Rowantrees and it quickly became a popular choice. Indeed, it is one of my favor
So it should not be a surprise that I did make an attempt to bring this pattern back. The initial results were excellent as the picture shows. But 
both glazes had one minor problem. They did not apply at all easily to the pot. Because I apply the glazes using a spray gun (as Rowantrees always did), the glazes need to dry almost on impact to assure a smooth and consistent surface. These glazes did not dry at all quickly and would begin running down the side of the pot if I did not apply them in very thin coats. That meant that I had to stand there for a great deal of time to get a decent coating built up on the pot.
Spending a lot of time on one pot isn’t good when you’re trying to glaze several dozen of them at a stretch. So I began the process of finding a better glaze for the purpose. I found one that looked very promising and that applied very well (and wanted to be applied thinly anyway).
Then I got the word that I was going to have to move out of the building. Oh well.
So yes, Black and Seagull will return. Once I have a new workspace, the process of developing a new replacement for this wonderful pattern will begin anew.