Better or Worse?

The dilemma for those of us with the woodfire bug is that we often have a beautiful pot that has something not quite right with it. Either a little too dry and ashy and/or didn't get hot enough to be vitrified (won't be tight enough to hold water) or they got too hot and distorted or kissed another pot, or, or... It really sounds like quibbling I know.

So, I've now got a basement-load of these and have decided to do a bit of refiring to tempt the fates into giving me something even worse--but Hopefully, something a bit better.

I'll let you decide on these. Above the two "before" pots and below the "after."

Next refiring I'll go even hotter to get all the ash to melt...

Art in the Garden in Photos

Last Saturday was my annual studio sale that I hold in the garden. It was our least sunny year but one of our best sales... You just never know how it's going to go.

Photos here include one of my stacking sculptures, a lovely arrangement of Louie Gizyn's work and a table of Jerri Bartholomews glass creations.

Had at least one customer just happen to see our sale on the way to the co-op. He bought a sculpture before getting his grocery shopping done! Another customer saw one of my "basement art collection reduction bargains" over a decade ago at Ceramic Showcase and remembered it from then. It was really nice selling one of my older feminine gold leaf sculptures to her.

People came celebrating their birthdays, their moms, themselves. Other came by just to be friendly and lend some support to the day.

Thanks to all who came by and to everyone who help support the arts!

Six months of Etsy

At the sixth month mark of being an Etsy seller I'm employing only 1/10th of the tools out there to increase sales. One that seems to be working is the cross promotion that comes via the Treasuries. Buyers and sellers alike create themed mini-collections. They help bring visibility of our work to a broader audience. This one was entitled "Brown" and is lovely.

A month ago I joined a Treasury Team that requires members create a treasury of team members' work at least once a month. So far I've been included in 1-3 treasuries each day! (See links in the sidebar.) I've also had a few more sales in the past week--my first since the first of the year--so perhaps this extra traffic helps. Of course, if I could manage to list a new piece or two more often that would help, too. Watching traffic on Google Analytics shows that each new listing brings a spike in viewership that drops off after 3-4 days.

Ceramic Showcase 2011

Ceramic Showcase is a pottery mecca for three days every year in Portland. Not only is it a chance to sell some work, but it is also incredibly inspiring to see all the new work that our peers are making.

A few booths blew me away with incredibly clever displays (Brenda Scott) or outta sight work (Brad Mildrexler yet again). Sorry no photos... More and more wood fire is coming to the show. Glad that there more iterations than just "asian knock-off". Most of us are Amis for goodness sake...

Thoroughly enjoyed myself even tho still exhausted five days later.

Ceramic Bowls Finished Product

Here is how my roly-poly bowls look after being glaze fired. I'm enjoying making them even tho they're time consuming, they're certainly different than a thrown bowl--different than most all other bowls for that matter.

Will people like or dislike their river rock-like bottoms?

A show in two weeks will let me know...

Promoting Art on Etsy

One of the ways Etsy is nicer over some of the other "catalog" art sales sites is the cross-promotion by all the artists and buyers who use the site. We all chose favorites that we promote by "liking" and hope that our work gets picked up in other people's favorites. Another way people promote work they like is in Treasuries -- little "mini-shops" of work people chose based on themes. Themes can be about color, the season, humor, bawdiness, horses, dog, cats, bird, books, movies...whatever people chose to group together. Needless to say there are thousands of Treasuries on Etsy.

I've been lucky to have been picked up in a couple of Treasuries and I've made a couple of my own. Below are some recent groupings in which my work has been featured. (To go directly to the Etsy page, use the link below the screenshot.) Would love it if you took a look at these collections and see what you like.

"Ceramics Treasury #3"

"Breakfast is Ready"

"For the Dogs"

"My Name is Ozymandias"

"Buttery Treasury"

And one I created with pieces showing some off-beat humor. "Washing out the Sunday Blues"

All this cross-promotion has brought many new viewers to my Etsy shop and hopefully one day it will translate into more sales for all of us liking each other's work.

Yesterday's post in video format. It could use some background music...