Bob Coyle Posted January 15, 2016 Report Share Posted January 15, 2016 We seem to be talking about mug handles???? Not sure how we digressed from metal/clay. I have been getting more into metal working with ceramics. Most of my thrown pieces now have metal bases I also have been doing some bigger stuff with metal/ceramic combos. here is a You tube of my earlier sculpture. Haven't taken photos of the metal based pots yet The center toroids are made of thrown clay as is the lattice in the anthropomorphic figure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancylee Posted January 16, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 We seem to be talking about mug handles???? Not sure how we digressed from metal/clay. I have been getting more into metal working with ceramics. Most of my thrown pieces now have metal bases I also have been doing some bigger stuff with metal/ceramic combos. here is a You tube of my earlier sculpture. Haven't taken photos of the metal based pots yet The center toroids are made of thrown clay as is the lattice in the anthropomorphic figure. Bob, That sculpture is fabulous!!! You are much more of an artist than I am!! I am a humble mug thrower!!! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Coyle Posted January 16, 2016 Report Share Posted January 16, 2016 That sculpture is fabulous!!! You are much more of an artist than I am!! I am a humble mug thrower!!! Nancy Mugs are good! Don't sell yourself short... after 15 + years at the wheel, I still let the clay push ME around! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitchmss Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 Nancy; sorry just now respodning. for me deciding what to make, how much of it to make, and where to take it to try and sell it has been something of a series of trial and error. If you want to break into the art show scene I would suggest trying out some small, local shows. Usually cheap or no application fees, and booth fees of $100 or less ( some bigger shows are $1000 or more a booth). These smaller shows can sometimes turn out real profit margins, and I know a number of full time artists who do a LOT (i mean 50 or more of these 1 & 2 day small shows) of these small shows and make a decent living at it. Its a hard life doing that many set ups/tear downs but.... I would also try to get your work into galleries in your area. This will help bring some income in during periods of no showings. There are a number of free, and a few paid areas where you can find information about what shows are good, etc online and in print. I use Artfairsourcebook.com to learn more about the shows I want to do. Its more costly but it pays off. So that kind of covers the "where to sell it". How to sell it, or try to sell it is based on a number of things. As a self employed artist you have to be a number of things, one of them is a marketing genius. Ive seen potters who make, IMO, pretty terrible pots, but market themselves wonderfully and sell well, and Ive seen potters who make great pots but have no sense of marketing themselves and sell nothing. When it comes to prices, everyone has an opinion on this and there are so many varied concepts that its something that can be talked about til the cows come home. My suggestion; go to a number of art shows and look at what other potters are making; gauge their skill level and experience against yours and then compare what they sell their work at versus yours will be. I find that when Im throwing I charge $90/hr; this of course will not always work out as sometimes I can make (100) $10 items in an hour and sometimes I can make (5) $100 in an hour. Ive found over the year (including all the hours spent doing anything for the business) that I make around $40/hr average. As far as what to make, again, look at what other potters make currently, or have been made in the past. The thing I try to do to make myself stand "out in the crowd" is to make things which are noticeably different than what other potters are making. This can be difficult because there are a lot of clever and talented potters out there making lots of pots. Youll have to decide if youd rather have (100) $10 mugs in your booth, or (10) $100 art works in your booth(not that a mug cant be a piece of "art", but for discussions sake). Decide how much work you can handle and want to make. I know that the majority of my patronage can all afford a $30 item, and even more so a $15 item, but not all can afford $100 item, so look at who you are going to be selling to; think Detroit vs L.A. I go the route of making a large volume of pots (between 6-8,000/yr), that are more moderately priced and therefore have a more consistent cashflow than waiting all show long for the one patron who is going to buy a $45 mug. It means a lot of effort on your part, but just think, youll never find yourself sitting around wanting something to do! Well, I was hoping to write a quick response to your question and this is turning out to be a much longer winded explanantion than anticipated. Id be more than happy to share any of my other knowledge with you but maybe a private message would be better than the open forum. Feel free to get in touch with me; hitchmss@gmail.com I found this thread I had started, and decided to add to it, rather than start another one. I can retire in one year, with a crappy pension. My husband has a good pension, but if he dies before me, it goes with him and I eat cat food. I have to be practical, but I also have to take a good look at my lifestyle, the time I now have to make things and my health. I took a year sabbatical two years ago: I was happy and healthy, lost 20 pounds and was busy every day making stuff. Since going back to work, I only create on the weekends and breaks. I leave my house in the dark, around 6:30, and get home around 5PM in the dark this time of year. Ugh. I have no energy to go to either my art or jewelry studio. I do understand what hitchmss said: to make up the money between my salary and what my pension will be I will have to make a lot of stuff I don't care about. Even production work, which is why I asked about how to keep it interesting last week. But when I think of getting up every morning, into my car, to live by the school bell (and I'm on a break now, taxpayers, so don't worry!) and then compare that to making some things each day that I'm not crazy about, it seems to be an easy choice. I will have health insurance for life at the price I pay for it now if I retire next year, so that is a plus. I love to teach, so I can see myself teaching eventually, except for three things: I live in a very unpopulated area, there is already an excellent pottery teacher in our area (my teacher!) and I would need several more years of doing this every day to be good enough to teach. (I do plan to move to a more civilized area when I sell my home.) I do know I can teach, as I have taught for 25 years and have taught my daughter and her friends both jewelry making and how to throw on a wheel and was surprised by how similar it is to teaching anything else. How would you go about making a plan?? How much to make, what to make, where to sell it, shows, etc? I do realize much of this is individual and trial and error, but any knowledge you may have gleaned about essentials to make this work would be much appreciated! Thanks, Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted March 21, 2016 Report Share Posted March 21, 2016 Metal work is easier than clay work on ones body-another thought for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stone Spiral Posted March 27, 2016 Report Share Posted March 27, 2016 I understand having more than one love, and having one that makes more money. Also, I too am a teacher... neat : ) Anyways, for me, I started a beeswax candle-making company about three years ago and it has gone really well, but it has always been my vision/dream to have a pottery studio. So, here I am, bouncing between my pottery studio, my candle studio (and the two never shall combine, as clay dust and warm wax don't mix!)... and on top of it all, am a full time teacher at a wonderful little schoolhouse in the mountains. It's a very busy life! Anyways... my advice is to do both. Do a little of the hot sellers/moneymakers, a little of the stuff you love, and find a happy balance, if possible. Find a way to combine the two if possible. One of the big things I think will work for me is making ceramic candle holders to showcase our hand crafted beeswax candles. I get into craft fairs based on being a candlemaker (the market is saturated with potters here)... but then I get to put my ceramic wares out on the table as accents and compliments.I hope to continue both. I see myself doing lots of pottery in Spring and Summer, and lots of candle making in Fall and Winter. I do love teaching and love my students/school, so I feel like a very fortunate soul to be immersed in so many of my passions at once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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