Richard Aerni on mon 21 dec 09
Tony,
Thanks for the compliments...you start by giving it on the one hand, and =
=3D
then taking away with the other! I must confess, I haven't even =3D
finished reading your post (back from a longish day at the studio making =
=3D
and then trimming $40 dinner plates for some services on order), but =3D
after seeing the
"For me to visit his studio or see him at a show surrounded with $25
pots would be very disappointing for me and I would think a tad
embarrassing for Dick."=3D20
quote, I just had to minimize the window and get out the email machine =3D
(!) and respond that I would be sorry to disappoint you with my pots, =3D
but I for one am not disappointed in them. They are fine mugs for the =3D
$25. And my pasta bowls are quite nice for the $38 I charged too...and =
=3D
so are the 12 inch serving bowls for $62 that are all still unsold,...as =
=3D
are the 20 inch platters and bowls that range in price from $300 to $450 =
=3D
that are also untouched. I took part in two sales, not SHOWS, the past =
=3D
couple of weekends, and the range in my prices was from $25 to $650...I =3D
sold far more pots for under $50 than I did for over $100...and if I'd =3D
only showed those pots of grand scale and concept that I do indeed make =3D
at times, I probably would have come back empty handed. I would be =3D
embarrassed to show at a gallery with $25 pots...in fact I just closed =3D
down a show at a gallery in the south where my cheapest piece was $400, =
=3D
but I do show up at a sale with pots in the $25 price range. =3D20
I love making pots, whether they be simple small pieces or more complex =3D
ones. Price isn't everything. You and I could probably debate this til =
=3D
the cow comes home, and never agree, but I don't want to make pots =3D
solely for the people with deep pockets with the means to pay what they =3D
may actually be worth. I had a posting earlier this week that traced, =3D
briefly, my beginnings in clay. I came out of a social activist =3D
background...as in "shut down the campuses and throw the bums out"...and =
=3D
then morphed into a "change yourself and then maybe those around you =3D
will change too" type, and finally became a potter who believes that =3D
making honest pots and selling them to real people to bring both maker =3D
and user pleasure is a good thing. =3D20
I'm not interested in being known as a "cheap" potter or an "expensive" =3D
one...I believe there is a lot of room between the two statements "sell =3D
it for what it's worth" and "price it so that it will sell" and I intend =
=3D
to inhabit that territory...sometimes leaning further to one side, =3D
sometimes going the other way.
Best to you and Sheila,
Dick
Richard Aerni
Rochester, NY =3D20
www.richardaerni.com
| |
|
