Between shows is the time to restock what sold and received orders. I have been throwing the pots and putting lots of hole recently. Garlic jars, planters and berry bowls. Garlic jar is like a sugar pot with lots of the holes on the side, so the garlic can breathe, and its top protects from the light, not grow. I use it at home. I don’t make them often, but probably one of the most asked item next to the French butter dish. It does not mean it sells well, though.
The French butter dish, on the other hands, it sells. I made one year. I tried it at home, and I got butter dropping into the water, and several days later the butter became moldy. After researching the web, I found you can’t leave it if the temperature is above85°F or so, and you add salt in the water to avoid from mold. I thought if I am not satisfied I should not sell. I discontinued after selling a dozen or so in one summer.
Where does the clay come from? I don’t dig my own clay in our backyard. I wish. I purchase from the Laguna Clay Company, and come in a box pre-mixed #510. They keep the content (receipe) secret, so I really do not know.
I used to mix the clay, which was back breaking operation. Yes, mixed. I purchased 50lb bag of dry materials; Hawthorne Bond Clay (Missouri) , OM-4 ball clay (Kentucky), EPK(Florida), Custer Feldspar (South Dakot) and Flint. It is not mine in single location.
In Japan, pottery clay is mined locally, and glazed with local materials (ashes) to make their product unique (one of kind), and people appreciate it. It makes the pottery more expensive . Bizen pottery was known to purchase a lot of the rice field for their clay, by digging the rice field and removing the clay means no more rice production there as well as you do not know what kind of clay you can get until mine. It is very expensive transaction.
Is it possible to do the same in US? Yes, I think some do, however I think people do not see much difference in the final product, or its value. I sometimes wonder how many people see the difference between the high fire and low fire. I think mining and making clay too much time-consuming and challenging practice , meaning finding, testing and processing clay as well as fitting the glaze, not mention storing these unprocessed clay, to justify the cost. I do not mind using the clay in the box as long as I can make my own pottery. Painter uses the paint in tube. I do not think people ever asking the painter, where the paint or canvas comes from.
One of neat thing about the Allentown Art Festival is a lodging. The Holiday-inn is in front of my booth. It is neat to see the booth at night from the room. I guess someone broke-in to my booth overnight, and took a large vase. Maybe around the time I took this picture. Kinds of ironic. I have been doing this show and had never had problem before. Then, one of customer told me the vase was shuttered three blocks away. What is the point…. I don’t understand.
I have applied the award competition for a decade, and finally got one. It is very nice to be recognized.
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