Tom Wirt on thu 26 feb 98
Richard Aerni Wrote
>Well, this is a great time to be a functional potter, if the pots are
>good. There are markets for your work like you wouldn't believe. Many
>of the the old "established" functional potters have found that they can
>keep their wholesale business going by just keeping in personal contact
Richard...
I think right here, you've also hit on the reason that the individual
potter who does do the wholesale shows gets the impression that
everythings becoming pressed, molded, imported...whatever and that much
is being done by multi-person studios. Whie still handcrafted to one
degree or another, it is more or less mass produced than the hand-thrown
or hand-built. But let's not get into that one again.
Tom Wirt
Clay Coyote Pottery
Hutchinson, MN
claypot@hutchtel.net
Rick Sherman on thu 5 mar 98
The conversation about ACC at Baltimore and Wendy's Philadelphia show
has contained lots of interesting comments and good advice. I have
shared it with some of my friends not on Clayart.
One friend just returned from Wendy's show. He says his wholesale
orders up by 1/3 from last year. Most folks he knows did well too.
Tells me less potters this year. One whole row missing. But, a lot
more glass. Brighter colors seemed to go best. Blue always sells.
It is usually more difficult to get quieter functional work in most ACC
shows and other "high end" shows like our Sausalito and some others in
California. In the late 70's and early 80's the ACC San Francisco show
had 20 or more functional stoneware potters. Later, there were only 9
of us and then, in the late 80's, I was the only potter making
functional stoneware in the entire show. Didn't get in for three years
and then returned with white stoneware. The "Dry Look" came in and
then raku. Now, it is bright majolica and the "Designer Look." The one
exception in San Francisco is one fine potter making beautiful
functional stoneware. These are observations from the California
scene. It may be different in other parts of the USA.
Rick Sherman
San Jose, CA USofA
| |
|
