liambesaw

Did the farmers market again this week, my big seller this time was small lidded jars.  I made a bunch last week and sold them all.  Forgot to take pictures whoops.
 
Guess I'll go ahead and make a bunch more of those!

Isn't it?  A family friend just had her knee replaced.  They cut her bad knee out. Cemented a chrome-cobalt knee in, stitched it up and they had her walking stairs 6 hours later.  Ridiculous

Just been doing some experimenting since I have plenty of bowls, mugs, spoon rests, etc.  I'm thinking about entering our local guilds call for entry, it's the annual teapot show.   I had a dream about something like this so am trying to get it right.  This is the second prototype and it's getting closer.
Also been making taller two part vases, but the problem is my kiln is only 18 inches deep and 23 inches wide so i can't go too big.  This vase is 20 inches tall wet, hoping it fits and fires on its side ok.
 

Just been doing some experimenting since I have plenty of bowls, mugs, spoon rests, etc.  I'm thinking about entering our local guilds call for entry, it's the annual teapot show.   I had a dream about something like this so am trying to get it right.  This is the second prototype and it's getting closer.
Also been making taller two part vases, but the problem is my kiln is only 18 inches deep and 23 inches wide so i can't go too big.  This vase is 20 inches tall wet, hoping it fits and fires on its side ok.
 

Did the farmers market again this week, my big seller this time was small lidded jars.  I made a bunch last week and sold them all.  Forgot to take pictures whoops.
 
Guess I'll go ahead and make a bunch more of those!

Just been doing some experimenting since I have plenty of bowls, mugs, spoon rests, etc.  I'm thinking about entering our local guilds call for entry, it's the annual teapot show.   I had a dream about something like this so am trying to get it right.  This is the second prototype and it's getting closer.
Also been making taller two part vases, but the problem is my kiln is only 18 inches deep and 23 inches wide so i can't go too big.  This vase is 20 inches tall wet, hoping it fits and fires on its side ok.
 

I'm going camping this weekend and plan to bring back a bunch of decomposing bedrock.  I do some gold prospecting and so I always have granular magnetite but as I was washing a bunch of bedrock clay down the stream last time I thought hey I bet this would melt in a kiln!

I follow the rabbit holes as I go.  If something interests me further I pursue it until it doesn't interest me anymore.  So recently my pursuit of DIY lustres came with a lot of research.  I figured there had to be a cheaper option out there that I could make myself.  There is and there isn't, but I'm still on it and still making them, mainly because I like the way the bright oil-like sheen looks on my pots.  It's subtle so I doubt anyone would really notice until I pointed it out, but they're cool!
Anyway, I don't mix my own clay for several reasons, the main one being there's very little cost savings and I have local access to beautiful pugged clays for dirt cheap.  I do mix my own glazes and make my own tools, but that's out of cost savings and control and not about returning to the roots or honoring my ancestors or whatnot.  
I like this hobby because you CAN go down these rabbit holes and come out understanding just a weeeee bit more about the different processes and how they interact.  But it's also awesome because everything is now set up to where you don't even NEED to know anything so just about anyone can hop on into the hobby with just a few hours of reading.
 

Did the farmers market again this week, my big seller this time was small lidded jars.  I made a bunch last week and sold them all.  Forgot to take pictures whoops.
 
Guess I'll go ahead and make a bunch more of those!

Well I did my farmers market today, got out in the sun and got a lot of sketching done :/
Made 55 dollars, which was more than i was expecting since this was a 20 tent market and I was one of two Craftsmen there.  
luckily the booth fee was only 10 dollars!
man there are some really weird people out there...
Guy to the left of me was selling bleach water (FOR DRINKING!!!) and the booth across from me was selling essential oils... Don't these people know how dangerous those things are!? 

Been making a bunch of these 8lb vases instead of making things that will actually sell.  Cant help myself, I just love making them.  
I made a handful of little lidded jars last night to replenish the ones I sold though, so I still did something.

Did the farmers market again this week, my big seller this time was small lidded jars.  I made a bunch last week and sold them all.  Forgot to take pictures whoops.
 
Guess I'll go ahead and make a bunch more of those!

Well I usually take kiln opening pictures but for some reason this load fired a little hot and I had a lot of pluckers but the shelf of lidded jars was fine.  So I was a little demotivated and then I had the farmers market the next day so I just went about getting ready for that and totally spaced the pictures.  Oh well!

@Callie Beller DieselI got a good one today...
At my booth of 99% functional ware: "Is it safe to eat off this stuff?" I said yes, and she picked up a large vase and said "Even this one?" Which was a weird question but I just said, "if you wanted to!"

Well I did my farmers market today, got out in the sun and got a lot of sketching done :/
Made 55 dollars, which was more than i was expecting since this was a 20 tent market and I was one of two Craftsmen there.  
luckily the booth fee was only 10 dollars!
man there are some really weird people out there...
Guy to the left of me was selling bleach water (FOR DRINKING!!!) and the booth across from me was selling essential oils... Don't these people know how dangerous those things are!? 

@liambesaw, the way I see it, it’s much better to start out with low prices, and raise them if the pots are flying off the shelf. Compared to starting out with overpriced pots, and having to lower the prices. Especially at a recurring market like a farmers market, where the same customers are going to see the evolution of your prices. 
Also, don’t let others pressure you into raising your prices. Especially from across the internet. We don’t know the area where you’re selling. Every location has different market forces. Base your pricing decisions on how fast your pots are selling. 
From across the internet, I can’t judge the weight and balance of your pots. But from what I can see, your pots are very attractive and of good craftsmanship. So present them with a sense of respect, not like bargain fodder. Which is related, but not specifically the same thing, as the number on the price tag. 
This market is a good choice for your first attempt at fair selling, due to its low booth fee. You can continue to do it this summer for the experience, but I would also start looking for something that is a step up. Where you won’t be selling pots next to snake oil. 

Ok ok fine, for the integrity of clay art. 

Well I did my farmers market today, got out in the sun and got a lot of sketching done :/
Made 55 dollars, which was more than i was expecting since this was a 20 tent market and I was one of two Craftsmen there.  
luckily the booth fee was only 10 dollars!
man there are some really weird people out there...
Guy to the left of me was selling bleach water (FOR DRINKING!!!) and the booth across from me was selling essential oils... Don't these people know how dangerous those things are!? 

Well I did my farmers market today, got out in the sun and got a lot of sketching done :/
Made 55 dollars, which was more than i was expecting since this was a 20 tent market and I was one of two Craftsmen there.  
luckily the booth fee was only 10 dollars!
man there are some really weird people out there...
Guy to the left of me was selling bleach water (FOR DRINKING!!!) and the booth across from me was selling essential oils... Don't these people know how dangerous those things are!? 

Can't wait!
 
 
Did another test last night, trying to make an iridescent copper lustre.  So close!  Came out a little too red for my taste but wow the depth it adds to the glaze is so beautiful!!  This recipe was bismuth and iron salts, I think an addition of silver salt will tone down the red and add silver bringing it closer to copper.  Hard to capture in photos 
 
This weekend I'll be bisquing and glazing lidded jars and sponge holders, last load before farmers market on Wednesday.

Well I did my farmers market today, got out in the sun and got a lot of sketching done :/
Made 55 dollars, which was more than i was expecting since this was a 20 tent market and I was one of two Craftsmen there.  
luckily the booth fee was only 10 dollars!
man there are some really weird people out there...
Guy to the left of me was selling bleach water (FOR DRINKING!!!) and the booth across from me was selling essential oils... Don't these people know how dangerous those things are!? 

This week has been fairly frenetic, I'm prepping for a farmers market next Wednesday, and at the same time researching resinous lustres and experimenting with them.  Made my first batch of straight bismuth lustre yesterday after months of dissecting trade secrets and obfuscated SDS's, reading research papers and books, etc. There's just not a ton of information available on the science of them.  Will be doing my first tests probably tonight to see how close I am, we will see!
As far as throwing, I made a bunch of thrown sponge holders, a bunch of succulent platters, and a bunch of small lidded containers, and need to trim them all and bisque them so I can get a glaze firing in this weekend before the market!
I finally got all of my ducks in a row, formed a business, established marketing materials and bought a canopy and tables.  Only time will tell if it ever pays off!

@liambesaw.  Liam.  My friend. Those prices, man. We need to talk!

Well I did my farmers market today, got out in the sun and got a lot of sketching done :/
Made 55 dollars, which was more than i was expecting since this was a 20 tent market and I was one of two Craftsmen there.  
luckily the booth fee was only 10 dollars!
man there are some really weird people out there...
Guy to the left of me was selling bleach water (FOR DRINKING!!!) and the booth across from me was selling essential oils... Don't these people know how dangerous those things are!? 

@Callie Beller DieselI got a good one today...
At my booth of 99% functional ware: "Is it safe to eat off this stuff?" I said yes, and she picked up a large vase and said "Even this one?" Which was a weird question but I just said, "if you wanted to!"