Studio Sale Report

a not-so-great picture of the "showroom"
soon to be "pot shop"

It was a cold morning and a slow start to the Toe River Arts Council studio tour. My neighbor Robert Hoyle, came by early to spread the 16 tons of gravel in the "parking" area. I scrambled to price the pots that needed pricing and finished setting up our checkout area. Stacey had her jewelry displayed nicely but with overcast skies the light wasn't sufficient from the windows to truly show her tiny shiny beauties. We used some lights that Wendy Gratz loaned us and that helped a lot. With all the receptacles installed we both had the temptation to plug into them, unfortunately we haven't been connected to the grid yet and had to plug into a network of extension cords and power strips which created a perilous web of orange and green lines. In a word, embarrassing.
Instead of being proud of the work that's been done to get to this point of construction, I was embarrassed for all of the "stuff" piled up outside and the general unkempt state of the kiln and kiln shed. It's the result of moving from a much larger building to a smaller, unfinished building. It's the baggage that I' haven't decided whether or not to keep.
I need a barn!
Well, I'll need to take careful notes of my disgust and take action!

Back to the Sale!
It was a slow start but many of my most loyal fan's came out and made it a decent day. The effects of the failing economy have finally hit home, I think, and sales weren't as brisk as I remembered past holiday sales. But as we have been in recent sales, we're grateful for every sale we make. It will help us finish the studio and get on with the work of making more pots. That is what I do best!

Coming up in 2009
Talking with folks today I was excited by my plans to work on some new glazes and maybe build a small wood fired test kiln with my pile random bricks that are piled outside the kiln shed. Just the thought of actually making new work is exciting enough. I have a couple of special orders to make for the upcoming firing in Feb.(?) as well as shows at AKAR and J. Michael Kohler ArtSpace Gallery in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.

So, CHOP, CHOP! Until next time...