Selling a lot harder than it looks

The Coffee house was a bust in Selling pottery.  The idea was great but the reality is folks just are not buying at the moment.  The Shop is small and I tried it out for a week, lots of folks looking but no buyers.  The owner was sweet but she has expenses to pay as well.  She started out on consignment with local artist but has found that she needs to begin charging for space in her shop.

I am not in a position to pay anything on a monthly basis, when first starting out.  So hummmmm. . . I don’t think it is wise to make a commitment in this venue.   Not until I know that pottery is selling, right now I am testing the waters to see?  Will my work be bought?  Will my art be valued?  Do I have a product that folks want to buy?  All questions I am pondering at the moment.

For now it has been fun, a form of expression,intriguing, and minimal investment,if any.  It’s a dream at this stage, something I have always wanted to pursue.  Can you make a living in pottery?  Is it worth your time and energy to produce pots?  No answers. . .Yet. . .

I began this journey at the local level in Community Recreation Centers.  Wondering where it will take me. . .

Western/Colorado motif Spaghetti jar

So I was eating spaghetti this week end and realized I didn’t have a spaghetti jar. . . Hummmmm.  I am looking at a gallery in Wyoming and thought maybe a Colorado/Western motif for this jar?  Here’s what I have so far and I’ll be adding a TOP or Lid if you will soon.

     

Rutile Wash over glazes

Well there was a post recently in clayart regarding a Rutile wash over ANY glaze.  Hummmm?  Got me thinkin so I began my search on what this might be and mean.   http://www.jonsinger.org/glazes/rutilejun.html

Than I looked more specifically for rutile washes and ….http://annsgoodies.blogspot.com/2005/08/rutile-wash-over-high-iron-glaze-this.html

Reading posts from years ago, apparently this was is a HOT Topic of sorts as far as glazes go.

http://www.potters.org/subject02170.htm/

I posed the question about rutile,clear glaze base, and gerstley as a wash.  Why not add Manganese Dioxide as well to get purple?  Hummmm could be just brown or black tho.  Well my search for this illusive MAGIC wash is ON….oh yeah …..so ON.  I’ll be testing and posting results as I find them out!

MAGIC WASH, used over any glaze.

one cup of your best glaze/clear/white.
big tablespoon of rutile.
 some will add a spoon of sodium silicate.  i don’t.
or some will add some gertsley…i do often.

use it as a surface paint.
adjust the formula to taste.  it is a theory, not a recipe.
mel
from minnetonka:
website http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart site:
http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html

Getting Black in a cone ^6 Firing FLASHING

Remember FLASHING from one of my early posts?  Well this is my best attempt at getting flashing in an electric Kiln.  I am not sure how I did it and not sure if I can repeat it?  However, the effect is what I was hoping for.  I altered the RIMS of my larger bowls to try for some variation in the glaze at the RIMS,

   

So I was able to get a FLASHING look on the Rim of this bowl.  I used my MC6G Tweaked VSB glaze for the brown tones on this bowl and than used waterfall brown on the rim and going down the side.  You can see NOTHING on the side of bowl.  I used Black under coat glaze for the design on the horses,since I am unable to get that “Flashing look” on the side of bowls,yet.  I am able to get the Flashing LOOK on the rim though and it’s not controlled. Oh and I applied the waterfall brown with a sponge on the Rims and side of bowl but I dipped the bowl first in the brown glaze.

 

   Butter Dish with just the Blk under coating Glaze

Glazed Platter and bowls MC6G

Going with those EARTH TONE colors in this platter.  I used a tweaked version of VSB from MC6G and cream plus I added waterfall brown on the edges.

  Nice platter, IMO, sits well on a table and BIG enough for a turkey!  Gobble Gobble!

Bowls in Earth tone Glazes

 

I went Earth Tones on this bowl in Glaze Combo.  I used my tweaked MC6G Variegated Slate Blue and Waterfall Brown on the RIM.  I wanted it to go with the dinner plate set and mugs,cups,and goblets.

 

Along with large bowls, I threw Smaller stacking bowls.  All with a rolled rim.

 

Dinner Set putting it together

I am not into “same” or matching but I do like things to go-to-gether.  So I have designed functional pottery that Goes-to-gether but is not necessarily matching or identical.

   

My idea of functional pottery is to have everyday pottery you can use, have it matching in design or color of glaze so they go together but not identical.  And you want to buy several pieces to go with your developing set.

Earth Tone Glazes MC6G part 2

3 Earth tone glazed Goblets without handles.

   

MC6G the Earth tone brown olive is a Tweek on the Varigated SLate Blue Glaze.  I added Waterfall Brown to e the rim.

Earth Tone MC6G Glazes

 

Large (size of a Turkey) Horse themed Platter

   

The glazes are Jeannie’s Purple, Cream, and a tweeked Varigated Slate Blue MC6G glaze.

Pushing it. . .not recommended

Lots going on. . . invited to a Gallery in Wyoming called CIAO http://www.ciaogallery.com/ Deborah  Pipes invited me and her work is on display there as well.  She liked my blog and emailed me the information.  Thanks Deborah.  She does amazing paintings almost “Haunting”  http://www.deborahpipes.com/  

Than I have to get 10 pieces ready for the juried exhibition in Castle Rock, Colorado by the October 1st 2008 deadline.  And I submitted some of my work to the coffee shop in Castle Rock that is a coffee shop/gallery of sorts.  I wanted to see what sells locally here and there was a spot for a potter.  Mostly candles,paintings,etc.  I’ll be the only potter so far.

Pushing it in the Kiln, as you can image,not recommended but OMG it worked!  I loaded this kiln SOOOoooo Full, too full, but I needed pieces ASAP.  I thought well it might not work, and it could be a disaster, but I had to PUSH it to see.  I wouldn’t do it on a regular basis, and BERTHA (my kiln) was kind this time!   Here’s a peak. . .

  Very Full kiln with not much room for error!  It worked this time but I wouldn’t try it again, and I didn’t sleep much wondering if the lid would stick shut,etc.  Could have been a BIG MESS!

I’ll post more when the kiln cools down.  One of my platters is in there and some large bowls.

I have neglected my reclaimed clay pile so I promptly put it in a bucket of water to soak, and laid out a pile on my plaster board  and I have a about 20lbs sitting and ready for wedging.  Whew!  now that’s work.

http://www.minnesotaclayusa.com/technical/feature_tech_recycle.html  Minnesota Clay has a web site for TIPS on Recycling Clay!  D.Y.I. = the cheap method and that’s what I do!

   

You would have less LUMPS in the clay slurry if you allowed the clay to dry completely first, but again, I am pushing it, not recommended.  My slurry has some soft lumps.  It will require some wedging.  The process only takes a couple of days in Colorado, very dry.  So I place my clay in plastic when it still is very soft and not ready for wedging.  Otherwise it drys too fast and I miss my chance at wedging.