LeeU

Way cool---I just looked you up on the site and I want to do this! It appears one does not have to have a long-term substantive body of work, exhibited widely, tons of recognitions etc ---just the facts-you, the clay, some pieces, the signature etc. Thx.

When I had to come to terms with the realization that (upon retiring from a non-art/clay career) I would not be in a position to be making the large ceramic sculptural pieces I hoped for, and had some other constraints, I threw myself one heck of a pity party. It took me a couple of years to get over myself and get out from under the influence of art world elitism, in terms of self-valuation. I had to get to a place where I could humbly appreciate putting my signature stamp on the bread & butter pieces (paradoxically, with pride) as on something far more creative. Maybe the best approac

My 2-cents worth is more for someone who is not transitioning to a FT clay biz, but is maybe just going PT or establishing a small hobby biz, and for whom revenue for "survival + a good living" is not an imperative. So I guess this is more about what made my life easier, transitioning from a FT career, in a very different field, to a home-based retirement PT immersion in clay work. 1. Early on I did the math, the soul-searching, the priority pros & cons, and made a well reasoned decision to buy the best/newest equipment that I could afford. I know I could have done just fine with a

Are you saying the top peep can be left open for all electric firings? Mine is an L&L and I usually fire to 5 or 6. I'd like saving a bit on the electric bill if the results should be the same as when closed.

One of the first things I did when setting up my studio was to make a tracings of a kiln shelf (half round) on kraft paper and foam core. I then used the "guides" to measure and select the best sizes for a set of tall utility shelves, a small shelving unit, a utility cart, and drying boards (dry wall) that were all "calibrated" to hold 6 shelves worth of work. I also used my templates to figure out how much of what type of pieces I could fit on a shelf. The coordination, as a production process assist, has served me well and I never have to guess about when I have enough to fill the kiln. I

SImilar problem--table top-took it apart and cleaned gears/rollers and used tiny allen wrench to tighten up the mechanism, and early on learned to pay more attention to the different thicknesses of the clay that I could get from the various combinations I could make from the masonite boards for better results. Bailey's is great-they will help problem solve if it is still not functioning correctly.

If they are approachable for feedback on the website itself, I have to say the teeny tiny text type in pale orange is awful. Looks awful and is very off-putting to try to read-way to hard to see, in color and size. It cheapens the rest of the content...a quality business ought to be savvy enough to have a professional, engaging website with content that you at least could read if you wanted to. The product shots and typeface/size are OK, which is in your favor. Best wishes!

I literally just had this conversation two days ago, when I made this beauty on my (worth-every-penny) Pampered Chef pizza stone. People don't seem to like it when I explain that no, I really can't just make them one (the stone, not the pizza). Oh-for those who might be curious, it's a gluten-free crust of cassava & almond flours, enriched with the oil sun dried tomatoes are kept in; the topping is a true pure Italian sauce, fresh real mozzarella, fresh basil leaves & some of the sun dried tomatoes. It was delicious!

Seriously--ya can't just drop that here & leave w/out pics!! Show us at least a few, or one of the display case !

Your work is gorgeous. The article was way cool!

Funny--this is what I did today with some slab trimming scraps---I'll make hundreds and they will be gifts for the staffs of my favorite local non-profits

These are just inventory reference pics-not meant to see the light of day! The current key fobs are held on a spring clip (like for lanyards) and then attached to the ring, to give them some 'swing' and not be too fixed to the ring...I figure that might help prevent breakage-tho so far after a year or so none have broken that I know of. I don't care for the pendants (the cording-can't afford gold or sterling YET, which is how I would prefer to offer them...but people like them & it keeps them inexpensive (i.e. they sell) , so whatta ya gonna do!

I no longer have the temperament or patience for proper construction w/slabs. I do mostly freeform from scratch or a combo with hump/ slump forms. I am doing more clean and sometimes even straight edges to dishes now because I am in a touristy retail shop. It kind of distresses me tho that people get excited about my key fobs and not ..oh well......go figure!

I do it that way (Dick White's post) , having learned about that method here in the Forum, and it is amazing how well and quick it works!

Seems like a medical question---personally I would want to do some research into the specific condition and choose carefully what type(s) of health practitioner(s) I consulted. Mainstream medicine did nothing for the type of arthritis I have, in a segment of my neck/shoulder, and in my right hand, but a year of (insurance-covered) expert chiropractic treatment reduced it significantly, proven by x-rays. It is not gone, of course, but in over 3 years it has not progressed from that reduction and is nowhere near the pretreatment degree of pain and restriction of movement. I am absolutely not