Best Glaze Colors for 2019 and Craft Fairs - Holiday Markets

[cstovin]

Hi All,

I was searching for the most popular glaze colors for 2019 (or trends) - I have done some shows, but my setup looked more like 1000 pieces of misc. pottery.  I want to go back to a more "solid" look, and maybe have 3 sections (or 2) with only a combination glaze mix and/or solid color glaze (no layering) so my booth doesn't look so "Hodge Podge"

I looked at the other newer post on the users first pottery show and how to display, but my question(s) are:

1) I was looking at coming color trends for 2019; they are gearing towards yellows, oranges, turquoise....does anyone apply those trends to pottery and decorations?  These were general color trends and also included fashion trends

2) Given the two markets I am starting to make more work for are towards the holidays, what "colors" do you suggest?  I don't want to gear my items towards Thanksgiving or Christmas (I don't want to end up taking a bunch of things home that are all holiday themes) - but what colors/color combinations are best around the holidays?  Or does it matter?

Thank you in advance for suggestions -

I want to make my Holiday markets more profitable

[GEP]

2 hours ago, cstovin said:

does anyone apply those trends to pottery and decorations

No. Developing glaze colors takes way too long to follow the annual trends. 

Make work that you believe in, not what’s trendy. That’s what sells. 

People who buy handmade pottery are not the same people who follow annual fashion trends. 

I endorse the idea of getting rid of the “hodge podge” of glazes and sticking to one or two glazing schemes. Pick the ones you believe in the most. 

[DirtRoads]

"Embrace your inner farm house" is what I should call this collection.    This is the most popular of my 6 colors by a landslide. I do 4 "versions" of this.   This is a 6 figure seller. 

[liambesaw]

43 minutes ago, DirtRoads said:

"Embrace your inner farm house" is what I should call this collection.    This is the most popular of my 6 colors by a landslide. I do 4 "versions" of this.   This is a 6 figure seller. 

The fit your name as well, dirt roads aesthetic

Need to add some crushed feldspar to really complete it 

[DirtRoads]

Home decor moves a lot shower on color trends than fashion.   And in a lot of color forecasts, never moves at all.  Home decor follows color movements as opposed to those Pantone color forecasts.  These 2 colors are 4th & 5th in my sales, with red being 6th.   I'll  do a few color "bursts along, but limit it to like 15 to 20 pieces.   

yellows, oranges, turquoise - I never saw yellow even make it to accessories.  Orange only slightly.  I've seen them try to bring back turquoise at least 20 times but never saw it push higher than:

Buying ratios:  Black 20/Brown20/Turquoise 4.    Orange was like a 1.  Pink usually a 2 but during 90's I did see a time when pink was the new black, outselling black and even more ever so slightly into home decor.  I did see Brown become the new black for a few season Brown 25/Black 20. 

I love the 2nd one and did it in response to a "gray kitchen" trend I saw a year or 2 ago.  But can't say it's a great seller.

[liambesaw]

I think in pottery color is more of a trademark of the potter than any sort of trendline.  I mean how often do you see a Potter switch schemes? Not often!  Usually you see someone find their niche and stick to it.  The upside is that the earthy colors of ceramics and glazes usually go with almost any home color scheme.  Blues, whites, browns, iron reds, black, they all can go pretty much anywhere.  I don't think having a large variety of color will do anything to increase sales, if anything it looks disjointed and chaotic in a display.  I think most people like seeing multiples of a single theme, especially on display.  It looks professional and "put together".  

 

[cstovin]

@liambesaw - what are those colors (the top picture) - they look cool - 

I really like the "farmhouse decor" style - which lends to reddish maroon, oatmeal, etc. - but not sure what I like the best - 

The other thing I am trying to consider - do I make / take a lot of holiday theme items?  My fear there is that I will end up packing a bunch home until next year

thank you all for the feedback - excited to get it all together

 

[liambesaw]

8 minutes ago, cstovin said:

@liambesaw - what are those colors (the top picture) - they look cool - 

I really like the "farmhouse decor" style - which lends to reddish maroon, oatmeal, etc. - but not sure what I like the best - 

The other thing I am trying to consider - do I make / take a lot of holiday theme items?  My fear there is that I will end up packing a bunch home until next year

thank you all for the feedback - excited to get it all together

 

If you pack a bunch home, you dont have to make as much for next year!

And those pictures were @DirtRoads

[LeeU]

 

12 hours ago, cstovin said:

Or does it matter?

I am willfully uniformed about many things (like trends) and most of the time I value my own opinion over most anyone else's, except when I am seeking facts and expertise, in which case I am a humble, grateful student. That is the bias undergirding my comment.  I think one of the best things about creating art/executing craft is the personal autonomy of choosing. In the case of clay, choosing one's color, body, fire type, form, glaze, treatment, concept, market, it's role in one's life, etc.  So,  I just don't get it...why  would it matter (alleged  color trends) in the first place?  

[DirtRoads]

That white is a basic white matte glaze.  I'm too lazy to make one from scratch so I buy that from Coyote.

As for holiday items, I would be very cautious about anything to do with fall or Thanksgiving.  I do these little ornaments all year, sell them all year.   Last fall we blew through 500 at Canton in 2 hours.  I have 1000 done now for fall show, already packed in van.    We on target to sell at least 3K of these this year.  ($5 each)  I have a time limit on making and glazing these.     Need to have less than 2 minute investment total. (cookie cutters, made from scraps of slabs) & design is a rubber stamp)  30/hour x  $5.   Decent revenue.  Most of the time, these are just space fillers in kilns.

I do a Christmas plate every year, about 100 of them.   They sell for like $25-$35.     If you don't have an established customer base, I would hesitate to do them.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I think that having a cohesive look to your booth is definitely a good idea, but as others have noted, it’s not really practical to change your glazes quite that frequently. That said, I usually only sell gravy boats and Christmas ornaments between the start of October and the end of December. It’s the only time folks are looking for those items, and they’re worth having, but not too many people are thinking about heavy sauces during the summer.

[DirtRoads]

You have to broaden your view of what the customers are really buying.    It's not  just an "ornament".  I sold 30 something of this last week  to a customer from Canada.  She made a "list" of all the people she wanted to take "a little happy to" (cat sitters, plant waterers,  grandchildren, nieces/nephews etc).     Last summer someone ordered 450 of them to give out at a lady's conference.  She was the president of the Mississippi chapter and saw them at the only show I do in the Spring.  We didn't sell but 50ish at the show but the idea was planted for later.   You can just as easily sell that angel or cross as "a little happy".  Of course I add a little packaging that enhances gift giving.

It's July but a customer may think "that's a beautiful handmade gravy boat.  I could give that to my 2 daughters and daughter in-law for Christmas.  I'll take 3 of those.  No wait.  Give me 5 of them.  I'll give them to my sister and sister in law too."  A "heavy sauce" NEVER comes to mind.  I would sell more  during 4th quarter because I sell more of everything then, but I never rule out an item because it's not 4th quarter.  Of course I will sell more of those "ornaments" in Nov/Dec but they are buying some right now.             

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I'm basing my choices on my observations of the folks in my area, and I believe there are some regional differences in customer motivation. The last couple of years I had a really broad selection of items, some of which just weren't selling at certain times of the year. I needed to weed things down so that I had the space in my setup to provide the things people were most interested in. I've noticed from direct experience that sales of those specific items drop to nil at the start of January, so I don't waste my time carting them around. Because there's the added motivator of the limited availability, when I do provide the gravy boats and ornaments, people do tend to buy them in multiples as you've described.