I know this was posted quite a few months ago but I'll respond anyway. In the first photo the signature looks like it says, 'Shimek'. I've found some other pieces online with a similar signature, one being attributed to an Anne Shimek. As for the 'SA' chop mark on the other piece, I'm unsure. That could represent a first and last name of a person or a studio etc. I've purchased a lot of pottery and artwork and have been able to attribute much of it but it doesn't always happen right away. Many times, if you do this a lot lol...you'll attribute a work inadvertently while looking for something else. That's always nice.
Like paintings and prints or other types of artwork, signatures can be a real problem. First there has to be one, then it has to be legible...and artists are often notorious for illegible signatures.
And even if you can read the signature you often hit a dead end anyway.
One thing I'd suggest is to first start checking local galleries(and museums!!). Many have online sites and will feature their resident artisans in their respective mediums. That works best if the artist is still working and being represented, of course. But galleries do sell works posthumously and in secondary market. Also, some artists are represented by several galleries so it pays to check as many as you can find but starting locally should be the first step.
Another place to check is online rosters of guilds, clubs and public studios. Chances are, if the pieces are in fact local, one of the members might know the artist or they may be part of the group itself.
One thing I do with mystery art/signatures is use Google Lens. If you don't get a positive ID at least you'll have an idea of how to physically attribute the piece comparing similar pieces in the search results. It seems a bit abstract and maybe desperate, but it is possible to attribute a work to an artist just by trying different search terms when describing your item. If the artist is out there you're simply trying to enter just the right search terms(like a combination) to find a match. Obviously it pays to simply know what you have in front of you; exactly what it is, what it's made of, color choices, construction methods, artistic style, characteristic ornamentations, potential region of origin, possible age or era of mfg., etc. could all be considered.
There should be other resources out there too. If the artist was part of a guild or something their work may have been published or even in local or regional newspapers or books etc. There's at least one site I know of called TMP(The Marks Project) that is a resource for pottery signatures and maker's marks. I think most of those are pretty high-end however, but, you never know.
-JP
