This is one guys approach to couples therapy
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Friday, November 14, 2014
Thanks for the Help
Hey everyone. Just a quick update and some observations on social media. When I asked for blog comments "Please Help" I received responses from over 20 readers letting me know their locations. Last week I mentioned on the CLAY BUDDIES forum that I was about to teach my first adult wheel class and add the word 'Tips ?' I received over a hundred responses in just a few hours. People in the clay community seem to be extraordinarily responsive to requests for assistance. Thank you all very much for your help and words of support.
Speaking of Wheel class, it is going very well. On the first night, I had 6 of my 7 students. I brought in some very soft reclaim for them to use and everyone was able to center. A few small pots rose off the wheelheads as well. Last night they switched to regular clay and were still able to center and pull. We are having fun and everyone is very supportive of each other. My beginner who missed the first session showed up and she is a natural. Centering and pulling three little pots on her first night. She must have one heck of a teacher !
Other than that, I have been working on a slightly different cereal bowl that is a bit taller and not as wide. The lower profile ones I've been selling are very functional but I think a taller bowl will show off the form and glazes better. I'll let you see after I get some glazed.
I'm still in a puzzle about what to tale to Holiday Fair on the 6th of December. The booths are 8x6 and it has thrown me for a bit of a loop that I am actually going to have to leave stuff at home and put up a different display. I'm thinking mugs, slab platters, bakeware , and a few big vases. I'll get it worked out but just don't expect me to make a bunch of holiday themed trinkets and glittery objects. Be well. Be happy and thanks for stopping by. Have a happy Thanksgiving if we don't chat before then.
Speaking of Wheel class, it is going very well. On the first night, I had 6 of my 7 students. I brought in some very soft reclaim for them to use and everyone was able to center. A few small pots rose off the wheelheads as well. Last night they switched to regular clay and were still able to center and pull. We are having fun and everyone is very supportive of each other. My beginner who missed the first session showed up and she is a natural. Centering and pulling three little pots on her first night. She must have one heck of a teacher !
Other than that, I have been working on a slightly different cereal bowl that is a bit taller and not as wide. The lower profile ones I've been selling are very functional but I think a taller bowl will show off the form and glazes better. I'll let you see after I get some glazed.
I'm still in a puzzle about what to tale to Holiday Fair on the 6th of December. The booths are 8x6 and it has thrown me for a bit of a loop that I am actually going to have to leave stuff at home and put up a different display. I'm thinking mugs, slab platters, bakeware , and a few big vases. I'll get it worked out but just don't expect me to make a bunch of holiday themed trinkets and glittery objects. Be well. Be happy and thanks for stopping by. Have a happy Thanksgiving if we don't chat before then.
Monday, November 3, 2014
Show in the Snow
Thanks so much for your input on my survey last time. I would have responded to all the comments when they came in but for some reason, that usually makes people think we are all done with a topic and they don't join in. I had 400 or so people check in. I think when you ask for help on a potters forum you get a lot of responses. 20 people commented from Denmark, England Australia Japan Scotland Canada and none of the Russian, Ukrainian or Chinese readers had anything to say.
Thursday was a day I always look forward to every year. I take the camper south for a weekend of fun. I drive to Raccoon Valley Tn. and stop at the Escapees campground for their Thursday night Jam session. Mostly Bluegrass and older stuff that I like . I also like that at a mere 64 years old I'm one of the youngest pickers there. Man can those guys play ! When the clock hits 7, it's sit down and hang on. Everyone takes a turn leading a couple of songs and when it's your turn you stand up and sing. No fooling around scratching your head and trying to decide what to do. Just be ready and go ! In the 2 hrs we played there was probably not a one minute break in the music even though a couple of guys needed help getting to the microphone. Traditional music in its pure form. Can't get better. There was a good crowd too probably 30 audience and 15 to 20 pickers. Guitar, fiddle, upright bass, mandolin, banjo, dobro, and slide. And that was just Thursday.
Friday morning, I drive across route 40 to Waynesville, NC and take 74 west to Dillsboro, NC. This is the home of the best pottery show in the country every first Saturday of November and I go to wrap and schlep for my friends Mike and Karen Baum. Friday afternoon is fun and games to entertain and add to everyone's enjoyment of the weekend. Clay Olympics ran from one to two With Alysha Baier winning the overall title. I think it was the wonder woman crown that put her over the top.
Next up, as the weather turned colder, John Bauman, Roxie Clark, Laurie Faye Long and I played some music for the folks. John and Roxie brought the talent, Laurie Faye brought the youth and good looks, and I brought the nerve. Some people stayed, some went to get warm. We had a good time and got to know each other a little better. We could not set up until after 7:30 and rain had started. We got the tent up, the shelves set up, and the boxes stacked by 9:00pm without getting too wet or frostbitten but the weather was turning. I tuned in the one station I could get on TV and saw the forecast.The banner on the screen actually said DON'T GO OUTSIDE !!! Not just don't drive or be careful . Tennessee, North and South Carolina and Georgia were all in panic mode. 10 or 12 inches in the mountains, get your bread and milk and pull the covers over your head!
6:15 Saturday morning we were breaking ice off the boxes and stocking the shelves as a light wet snow fell on us. The forecast was calling for 50 mph wind gusts in the afternoon. By the 10 AM opening, the snow had pretty well stopped. The ground was warm enough that we had no accumulation although you could see it up on the mountains. By about 10:30, people started coming. They said stuff like " Honey, I wouldn't miss this for nuthin' !" We got cold but we sold better than we expected. Was it as good as the last few years? No, but it was better than most any other one day show in good weather. We had people from Ohio, from Atlanta, from Virginia. come to see potters from Minnesota, Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York etc etc. If you ever get the chance you need to come see how a clay show is supposed to be. Sunday I left real early and hit a little snow from Waynesville NC into Tn. on I 40 but it was not stuck to the road and only lasted for 40 miles or so then again on Pine mountain South of Jellico before I went into Ky. That's enough words, here are some pictures. Thanks for stopping by.
Thursday was a day I always look forward to every year. I take the camper south for a weekend of fun. I drive to Raccoon Valley Tn. and stop at the Escapees campground for their Thursday night Jam session. Mostly Bluegrass and older stuff that I like . I also like that at a mere 64 years old I'm one of the youngest pickers there. Man can those guys play ! When the clock hits 7, it's sit down and hang on. Everyone takes a turn leading a couple of songs and when it's your turn you stand up and sing. No fooling around scratching your head and trying to decide what to do. Just be ready and go ! In the 2 hrs we played there was probably not a one minute break in the music even though a couple of guys needed help getting to the microphone. Traditional music in its pure form. Can't get better. There was a good crowd too probably 30 audience and 15 to 20 pickers. Guitar, fiddle, upright bass, mandolin, banjo, dobro, and slide. And that was just Thursday.
Friday morning, I drive across route 40 to Waynesville, NC and take 74 west to Dillsboro, NC. This is the home of the best pottery show in the country every first Saturday of November and I go to wrap and schlep for my friends Mike and Karen Baum. Friday afternoon is fun and games to entertain and add to everyone's enjoyment of the weekend. Clay Olympics ran from one to two With Alysha Baier winning the overall title. I think it was the wonder woman crown that put her over the top.
Next up, as the weather turned colder, John Bauman, Roxie Clark, Laurie Faye Long and I played some music for the folks. John and Roxie brought the talent, Laurie Faye brought the youth and good looks, and I brought the nerve. Some people stayed, some went to get warm. We had a good time and got to know each other a little better. We could not set up until after 7:30 and rain had started. We got the tent up, the shelves set up, and the boxes stacked by 9:00pm without getting too wet or frostbitten but the weather was turning. I tuned in the one station I could get on TV and saw the forecast.The banner on the screen actually said DON'T GO OUTSIDE !!! Not just don't drive or be careful . Tennessee, North and South Carolina and Georgia were all in panic mode. 10 or 12 inches in the mountains, get your bread and milk and pull the covers over your head!
6:15 Saturday morning we were breaking ice off the boxes and stocking the shelves as a light wet snow fell on us. The forecast was calling for 50 mph wind gusts in the afternoon. By the 10 AM opening, the snow had pretty well stopped. The ground was warm enough that we had no accumulation although you could see it up on the mountains. By about 10:30, people started coming. They said stuff like " Honey, I wouldn't miss this for nuthin' !" We got cold but we sold better than we expected. Was it as good as the last few years? No, but it was better than most any other one day show in good weather. We had people from Ohio, from Atlanta, from Virginia. come to see potters from Minnesota, Texas, Michigan, Wisconsin, New York etc etc. If you ever get the chance you need to come see how a clay show is supposed to be. Sunday I left real early and hit a little snow from Waynesville NC into Tn. on I 40 but it was not stuck to the road and only lasted for 40 miles or so then again on Pine mountain South of Jellico before I went into Ky. That's enough words, here are some pictures. Thanks for stopping by.
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| Laurie Faye Long as Willie Nelson |
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| Wonder Woman |
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| Brant Barnes and Sarah Wells Roland |
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| Doug Dacey watches Joe Frank Mc Kee watch Sarah Rowland |
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| Travis Berning |
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| Alysha Baier |
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| Laurie Faye Long |
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| Snow in the high country |
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| John Bauman |
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| John Bauman |
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| Home Sweet Home |
Thursday, October 23, 2014
Please Help
Below is a listing of where my readers came from over the last week. It is really hard for me to believe that I have had 58 legitimate visits from China this week. France? Maybe a couple but not 42. 37 from Ukraine? You have to be kidding ! I wouldn't be surprised to find the NSA, FBI, and CIA. I can accept Canada and I know I have at least one reader each from Brazil and Australia but I really suspect that a lot of these are just hackers trying to get past the firewall of word verification and drop some spam or worse. Since I added the verification on comments, NO ONE ! has gotten through to spam me. I know it is inconvenient but it works. Just for fun, If you are from outside the US let me know where you are. Even if you are from the US drop your state in the comments. I know this is not real interesting to you but I am really curious. Thanks for helping out. Speaking of helping out, Next week I spend Friday and Saturday at the Western North Carolina Pottery Festival In Dillsboro NC. It's off 74 about an hour west of Asheville. Friday is fun and games. Some of us may even make some music after the throwing contests. Saturday is the show. 40 of the best potters in the country and a huge crowd of anxious buyers. I'll be in the Baum Pottery booth wrapping pots. Stop by if you can.
United States
| 146 |
China
|
58
|
France
|
42
|
Ukraine
|
32
|
Canada
|
27
|
Germany
|
22
|
Russia
|
15
|
Brazil
|
6
|
Australia
|
4
|
Indonesia
|
4
|
Monday, October 13, 2014
Been a While....
Hey everybody. It's been a while since we chatted. It's not that I have been that busy. My last fall show was the 13th of Sept. and since then, I made a couple of dozen mugs for a stoneware firing and a few piggy banks for a Christmas show. Some how, I can't get in the Holiday spirit yet and when and if I do, it will be too late to make stuff. I guess it doesn't matter anyway. I just can't get into making cute little Santa ornaments, dishes with Christmas trees on them, chip and dip sets, and all the other crap that seems to attract people with a $5 bill to a booth at an art show. I'm sorry, it's just me and it's not my style. If anyone needs nice mugs, casseroles, baking dishes, plates or serving platters I'll be around.
I guess I haven't been totally useless, I've done some work on the house and put up a shed for Tina to have exclusively for her camping and kayaking equipment. I've packed and delivered several cases of pots for our Empty Bowls Project. I've been mowing and mulching a lot of leaves and Oh yeah, I had a final bridge put in to replace a tooth I broke in July. The whole process of extraction, temporary bridge, healing , fittings, and final permanent installation takes a couple of months and I am really glad it is over.
I have been spending the weekends visiting other shows around the area. I need a good late Sept / early Oct. show and I think I am still looking. I revisited one I did last year and even with nice weather, no one was really making any money. A couple of others were better but had issues. One I went to this weekend was crowded but more of a fair/flea market/antique/ Amish fest. It was 1 1/2 hours away and primarily in a pasture that was very muddy. There were a few artists mixed into the crowd but mostly people were walking in the mud eating popcorn and fried food then trying to get their cars out of the field. The good news of all these visits is that I got to see a bunch of friends everywhere I went and I didn't have to set up a booth to do it.
Lastly, I've been seeing a lot of pottery questions over and over. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings and know that we all started somewhere but NO there is no surefire guarantee on anything. Can I fix this crack? Probably not. What if I buy Super Duper Sticky Ooze at the Clay Store? Probably not, try it if you are feeling lucky but don't ever pick it up by the handle that you repaired. Suzy said I can fix it. If you believed her, you wouldn't be asking me.You can make another quicker than you can glue or spackle a bad one.
I'm looking for a clear glaze that never gets cloudy no matter how I apply it or fire it. So is everyone else.
I've been doing clay for 6 months now and my Mom says I should start selling some of the stuff in the living room. How much can I charge for a mug? It took me 3 hours to make and 6 hours to decorate. Is $75 too much? Not enough? I know it's a little heavy and the handle that I cut from the slab is a bit wonky. Does this really matter? The market place doesn't really care how long it took you to make something. Taking my time, I can throw, trim and handle a mug in about 10 minutes. My buddy Mike can do it in 5. Are mine worth twice as much as his? It's the other way around. And No amount of glaze, carving, slip trailing, or applied fanciful characters can save a pot that has bad form or handles. Spend your time on fundamentals until you can produce nice naked pots, then worry about enhancing them.
I've been making these beautiful mugs. ( picture proves they really are) How much can I charge for them ? No one knows. Where and how are you trying to sell them? Do you have a following? What prices do you see on similar work at the shows you do? Buyers that come into your booth determine price, pure and simple. All your cost calculations and time studies tell you what price you can afford to sell at. If that number is higher than what people will pay, don't make that item. I don't make teapots unless I just feel like it because I know they take me more time than they are worth.
One more last item. The first of November is the Western North Carolina Pottery Festival in Dillsboro. I'm going down to help my friends Mike and Karen Baum. Stop buy ( not a typo) and say hello if you are there. Also on Oct 31 (Fri.) Clay Olympics start about noon and afterwards, some of us are planning an acoustic jam session. If you play anything, feel free to join in. Takes more nerve than talent. Thanks so much for reading.
I guess I haven't been totally useless, I've done some work on the house and put up a shed for Tina to have exclusively for her camping and kayaking equipment. I've packed and delivered several cases of pots for our Empty Bowls Project. I've been mowing and mulching a lot of leaves and Oh yeah, I had a final bridge put in to replace a tooth I broke in July. The whole process of extraction, temporary bridge, healing , fittings, and final permanent installation takes a couple of months and I am really glad it is over.
I have been spending the weekends visiting other shows around the area. I need a good late Sept / early Oct. show and I think I am still looking. I revisited one I did last year and even with nice weather, no one was really making any money. A couple of others were better but had issues. One I went to this weekend was crowded but more of a fair/flea market/antique/ Amish fest. It was 1 1/2 hours away and primarily in a pasture that was very muddy. There were a few artists mixed into the crowd but mostly people were walking in the mud eating popcorn and fried food then trying to get their cars out of the field. The good news of all these visits is that I got to see a bunch of friends everywhere I went and I didn't have to set up a booth to do it.
Lastly, I've been seeing a lot of pottery questions over and over. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings and know that we all started somewhere but NO there is no surefire guarantee on anything. Can I fix this crack? Probably not. What if I buy Super Duper Sticky Ooze at the Clay Store? Probably not, try it if you are feeling lucky but don't ever pick it up by the handle that you repaired. Suzy said I can fix it. If you believed her, you wouldn't be asking me.You can make another quicker than you can glue or spackle a bad one.
I'm looking for a clear glaze that never gets cloudy no matter how I apply it or fire it. So is everyone else.
I've been doing clay for 6 months now and my Mom says I should start selling some of the stuff in the living room. How much can I charge for a mug? It took me 3 hours to make and 6 hours to decorate. Is $75 too much? Not enough? I know it's a little heavy and the handle that I cut from the slab is a bit wonky. Does this really matter? The market place doesn't really care how long it took you to make something. Taking my time, I can throw, trim and handle a mug in about 10 minutes. My buddy Mike can do it in 5. Are mine worth twice as much as his? It's the other way around. And No amount of glaze, carving, slip trailing, or applied fanciful characters can save a pot that has bad form or handles. Spend your time on fundamentals until you can produce nice naked pots, then worry about enhancing them.
I've been making these beautiful mugs. ( picture proves they really are) How much can I charge for them ? No one knows. Where and how are you trying to sell them? Do you have a following? What prices do you see on similar work at the shows you do? Buyers that come into your booth determine price, pure and simple. All your cost calculations and time studies tell you what price you can afford to sell at. If that number is higher than what people will pay, don't make that item. I don't make teapots unless I just feel like it because I know they take me more time than they are worth.
One more last item. The first of November is the Western North Carolina Pottery Festival in Dillsboro. I'm going down to help my friends Mike and Karen Baum. Stop buy ( not a typo) and say hello if you are there. Also on Oct 31 (Fri.) Clay Olympics start about noon and afterwards, some of us are planning an acoustic jam session. If you play anything, feel free to join in. Takes more nerve than talent. Thanks so much for reading.
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