Mark C.

Good luck with the show -glad to hear you are doing them . Mark

No commercials -only CDs I have so no junk tunes. Must have tunes I have a radio but it used less than .005% of time

Rarely- do I buy one,I did a Coleman workshop in the 80's and I bought a few of his finished pots-same deal with Robin Hopper-but his where only bisques from the workshop-I finished them with glaze and fired them. I also did a workshop with Vivika and Otto a back in the 80'snd have piece from them as well. I was given one from one of my customers of Warren MacKenzies as well. It was broken so I traded him one of mine for one of his.I have a few others that you would not know over my career and most where trades.I may own a dozen such works as well as a few trades from Potters that I went to school with who are long ago done with clay.

No - backfill,they are extruded handles-cut at a slant. The pot body is scored well and slip (collected while throwing and add some vinagar)is applied with a brushed handle is put on. The top of all my handled pots have a thumb spot or finger rest. Thats another process with slip and no scoring. The secret if there is one if there are Any cracks they are rubbed out while doing with a small sharp wooden stick. They disappear after that .Most potters do not do this final step but I stick any cracks as they dry.

Seconds are just that pots that have flaws-if that flaw can hurt someone it should be tossed out. I have many a second working in the kitchen.Say a chip and dip used for pot lucks- I do not take seconds to art shows much. I do have a few local shows I save them for if they are fully functional and are super minor flaws.I tend to put them aside and occasionally I will have a metal shift and toss them all out. But if I get a box full I have will take it to a local show and leave it in the box. I often give these away as well. If that pot functions and the flaw is safe its second.The main thing is can you live with this pot if say you see it at a friends house. Thats the benchmark for me keeping a second.I like Min said below have to explain the reason as they are minor-and the price is 1/2 off as well.

For text work in letters I use a small squeeze bottle with the glaze or stain and fill the letter voids-far less clean up and messing with things-then I wax over them for glazing.

You can let it sit for 100 years as long as its kept dry. Any less time is ok as well.

I make them for salt kiln fires but not my production loads-that would be to many to mean much for me.

Mondays bench (actually 3 areas)-glaze wares from two fires priced and packed-lots of mugs Pots been flying out of here lately-shipped to Vermont-So-Cal gallery-all local outlets- All stocked to the gills for Mothers day and our Collage Graduation weekend-usually a large sales event for all shops locally today bench is empty -off to a show in am for 5 days

I saw it on e-bay-it did not sell so I made them an offer off site -so when the auction closed I bought it.

Its really changed for me since the beginning as a high school student. My friend asked me back then to take some private clay classes taught by a studio potter for a very small group of 4-5 people.The high school also had some minor clay facilities . It was fun learning not thinking to seriously back then. The serious stuff for me at that time was losing one of my brothers to suicide and taking flying lessons. Clay just crept inside slowly and within a year I had bought a Brent wheel to throw at home. By collage I was sponging up all the knowledge I could on building kilns doing Raku,making glazes formulating clay bodies whatever I could learn I was game.I just in a few years was only thinking about ceramics while pursuing an BA in art. I was the President of the ceramics club at collage and built a few kilns at home during school . I began selling during school pottery club sales. I sold outside of collage as well . By graduation I was making and selling pottery with another potter . It just mushroomed from there . I had a starving decade before it started gaining traction.I never thought about a plan or a goal back then I was having fun and making it by if only barley. I became a prolific potter along with about 15 other potters in our area all from the same collage clay classes . Now there are only a few of us left doing this from that era locally . I started with all the local fairs and a few consignment outlets. Soon I was applying to juried shows out of my area and that really helped with income. Most local potters faded away decades ago-I stayed at it and it has become brand (Liscom Hill Pottery) for me locally. Now I know pottery is work but it still to some degree is fun. I have 100# control and can still pick and choose my work schedule. I'm trying to slow the train down a bit now. The things I still like are customer interactions (selling direct to customers) Getting paid well and having this clay work as a lifestyle. its be a good mix with my love of the the ocean and diving as I set my own schedule. Now I'm down to 5 shows and a mix of wholesale and consignment-so with 3 income streams its been a good mix.I used to never wholesale but now shows are just harder on me so I'm cutting them down and my wholesale filled that gap well. After 45 years with this in one area the business side is easy and I'm in the drivers seat.Never planned that but its evolved naturally. The why clay is something that is beyond me-it took hold of me early and grew into a lifestyle quest maybe a disease ?Its been a bit hard on the body but kept me active as well.

Last Wedesday It looked like a wheel repair shop on my bench-really my outside tables next to kilns under large metal roof I bought a new old stock model A new in the box. These have not been made for 15 -20 years or more. I took it apart and sealed the deck edge and bottom with 6 coats of clear sealer (pressboard with a plastic top ) I also replaced the top deck hardware with stainless steel fasteners and replaced the belt since the original belt had a flat spot from sitting 20 years.I had all the parts as I have a model A already for trimming. This is my 6th Brent wheel now.Not sure what I'm doing with the two extras wheel yet as I use only 4 of them now. Thursday my bench was filled with bisque ware -Friday it all got glazed and loaded into two kilns and today Saturday the bench is empty. Monday the bench will be covered with two glaze fires unloading-pricing and packing-some to my outlet a few (one box) to mothers day show at UC Davis next weekend and most summer back stock .Monday night bench will be again empty. Its about every week-pots on bench pots gone pots on bench pots gone.

The honey machine is busy as a bee.

Two glaze kiln loads on bench yesterday-all priced and boxed-some going to upcoming big show some going on 8 hour drive to Santa Rosa wholesale in am and killing two birds on that am trip with a gallery drop off in Eureka in afternoon on return drive. Bench is clean today

Recently (January) I drove 500 miles to a family friends 90th birthday. He was an important figure in my upbringing and was still very sharp living at a facility that does not yet care for him but will when he needs it. He was an architect his whole life. He had 2 pots of mine from the middle 70's and I really saw my style had changed dramatically since then. My feet, my forms, my handles -everything. He also has a pot from my older brother who is long gone (died 1971) from his summer class with Paul Soldner in Pasadena in 69. It was a real eye opener. They where bigender pots I made about 6 years into being a potter.One was a casserole -the other was a vase. I had some areas unglazed on the outside and by the looks of things like darker colors back then-the pots where stoneware as well.

Two glaze firing cooling so soon (Friday)the benches are filled with glazed ware that needs pricing.

The top piece looks classy the bottom one looks like a beginner piece. Seems obvious to me.

For me my work is gender free meaning its for everyone . A few things I have noticed is what glaze colors different genders like. Many a customer (one last week at the studio) has asked if men or women like this glaze or that glaze color.In a general sense men seem to like browns more than women .As to all forms all I can add as you get older you want lighter wares in the kitchen. Older folks like pots that are lighter especially dinnerware. Some forms sell better to women like vases but men buy them a gifts as well.In a general sense I sell more pottery to women buyers than men for sure.Thats always been the case.