Whistle Creek: Blind Hogs and Acorns

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Blind Hogs and Acorns

Yesterday was "Opening Day" in Cincinnati. No, not baseball, pottery. The Cincinnati Clay Alliance has SPRING POTTERY FAIR on the first Saturday of May every year and it kicks off my summer show season. It is a pottery only street fair with 60 club members showing their wares. It is always fun to show with all your friends and with pottery, there are so many different styles and approaches that I never feel that we are competing with each other.Your friends may stop in your booth and "give you the business" but later they will actually send you some business if a customer is looking for something that you make. There is an old saying in the antiques business that the best location for an antiques store is right next to a bunch of other antique stores. I think it holds true for potters too.

We had gorgeous weather and a big crowd pretty much all day. It started about 11am and the next time I looked up it was 2pm. My friend Judy stopped in to give me a quick break and even went up the street to get me some coffee. Little things like that are a big help and really appreciated.Then it hit again and the next time it slowed was 4 o'clock. One of the best things about this business is the customers that come back year after year telling me about how much they love the pots they bought last year and asking for more. I had plenty of them. What a day. It's good for our fragile egos to get boosted every now and then. I was juggling cash and burning up the square. I ended up with 17 credit card sales. Before the square I usually had 4 or 5. The new black pots with the red wheat pattern on them nearly sold out! The new "pop up" dishes sold well too. I'm going to have to make more stuff before the next show! In the end not only did I hit a new personal best but nearly doubled my old one. I know you all want to know so here it is.. I was squarely between OMG and Holy Shit!!! What a day. Love, respect, and money all at once. Some years and pounds ago I used to do long distance bicycle rides. By the end of the show I felt like I had ridden a century. I was totally exhausted but very happy. Many many thanks to all the volunteers who helped put the show together and of course to my wonderful customers. Here are a few pictures from the show. The first 4 are my booth with the new banner and base unit. The others I will try to identify if I can remember who's who.

Karen Herbert

Linda LeGendre

Rachael Wells

Teri Kern

Pat Holm ???

Sarah Horn

Josh and Marie Hamaker

Anne Courtnry

Peggy Mahoney

Nick Perino

Penni Lowery

Marcia Fanthorp's scraffito plates looked great in person

6 comments:

Michèle HastingsMay 5, 2013 at 9:11 AM
Congratulations on a GREAT sale! Let us all hope that this is a sign of a good year for all of us potters doing shows.
I agree with you that a show of all potters is a GOOD thing. You know that everyone there loves pottery and is there to buy pottery. You aren't competing with the jewelers and food vendors.
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Tracey BroomeMay 5, 2013 at 9:19 AM
It was so good to get up and read your post this morning! So happy for you, your booth looked great, and think of all the folks that are getting up this morning and looking forward to using a handmade piece of pottery. Shows like this one keep you coming back for more don't they!?
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Dennis AllenMay 5, 2013 at 10:20 AM
Thanks ladies. I suspect this will be my high for the year but hope springs eternal.
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smartcatMay 5, 2013 at 12:38 PM
That's a good looking set up with signage.....and just potters! That sounds like a rarity and fun!

How encouraging to have your first sale of the season be so successful. Toes crossed that the momentum keeps growing.
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Linda StarrMay 5, 2013 at 12:52 PM
Oh what a great show of all potters, so glad about the sales results, yes hope springs eternal.
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Lori BuffMay 6, 2013 at 9:39 AM
Congratulations on a successful show and no snow.
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Why Whistle Creek

Whistle Creek is near the area where my ancestors settled in East Tennessee. It is about 6 miles west of I-75 and 8 miles south of Jellico.At various times the land was claimed by England, France, Spain, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky,Tennessee, the Union,the Confederacy, and the Cherokee.My family was there around 1800 and possibly before.My brothers and I still own the top of the mountain and it is still very rough country. I named my studio Whistle Creek in memory of the Allens who scraped their living from the earth and managed to keep it for two hundred years.

Bricks,Bricks, Bricks

I have two loads of kiln brick at home and one more to go. Weather permitting I will get some help from my newly retired brother and haul the rest home next week. I'm still early in the planning stages for the kiln. I haven't decided yet whether to make the firebox perpendicular to the arch a la John Theis managama and groundhog kilns or to place it parallel to the axis of the arch. I do know that with #2 three inch arch brick It will be a 3"6" sprung arch on top of low walls with a sunken firebox. If i can find a saw that will cut 41/2" I can rip some of the arch brick to fill in the ends of the courses and use the arch brick on edge to make 9" thick walls. Any input appreciated.

The Pitcher and the Nun

Yesterday a couple of sweet elderly ladies came into my booth and fell in love with the pitcher from the last woodfiring. (See last Blog entry) They said they wanted to give it as a wedding gift, then they said the fatal words-" Do you take Mastercard? " I replied-" No, but I want this piece to go to a good home and I believe that if I send it home with you, you will send me a check." They agreed and we exchanged info. It turned out they were nuns.Instead of mailing me a check, they brought back a check and some homemade candy a couple of hours later.It was nice to make the sale, but even nicer to send out a little faith in mankind and have a good deed returned.

Ohio Slip

More Spring Fair Prep....

Today was spent loading a bisque kiln with pots I have been throwing the last few weeks.They are made with a really nice red clay that a friend sold me when I couldn't get earthen red at Highwater. I should be able to glaze Monday and fire the whole load again next week. This is the only clay that I fire in the electric kilns but it gives a look that a lot of people like and I can fire economically. This plus pots on hand and pots I have been glazing for the gas kiln should be plenty for spring fair so now I can concentrate on the booth.

Spring Fair

The main project of the week was to try to finish throwing a batch of red clay that I have been working on so I can get the pots fired and glazed for the big Spring Fair sale that the Clay Alliance is holding on May 2. This is the big annual sales event for the club and I am very happly to be included this year but I do feel a little pressure to up my game and have a booth that doesn't look like a yard sale. Once I get the pots fired, I will have to spend some time focusing on display space and building some nice shelving. The sale is 11 to 4 at the corner of Madison and Woodburn ( DeSales Corner) Just take 71 to Edwards rd., Edwards to Madison, Right on Madison and you will be there in a few minutes. You will have a great time and get to meet 40 of the best potters and ceramicists in the region. More info at http://www.clayalliance.org/.

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