Mondloch on mon 10 nov 03
>I went to the local iron works place in town, told them what I wanted and
they made it.
>
Hi Dinah,
I'm so glad to hear that you made the effort to find a local blacksmith for
your stand. I wish more potters would! Mark and I often combine my pots with
his iron work. We've got enough work dealing with each other right now ;),
but at shows we are often approached by potters who would like his metal, or
blacksmiths who would like my pots. Our customers seem to love the
combination too and often say how nice it is to see something "different"
for a change.
It seems to me that if you start out with the cheap, commercial stands for
your work it will cheapen the perception of your work to your customer. How
can you convince your customer that these are original one of a kind works
when your iron stands will look exactly like the stands of other potters
down the row. The pots will also tend to be more similar if they have to
fit the same stands. This leads to yet more "why does everybody's pots look
the same?".
I know the price of original iron will be higher, but why underestimate the
customer- at least give them a chance to see if they'll be willing to pay
the higher price you'll need to charge by including original ironwork.
Potters gripe all the time about competing with cheap commercial pottery and
why people can't see the difference, but then are unwilling to support
artists in other media. There's incredibly beautiful original ironwork
being done out there if you're willing to look for it. If you're searching
for innovation, how about combining your talents with a local blacksmith or
an artist in some other media for that matter?
sorry... this topic gets me going. How about shows that have no problem with
commercial accessories in the booth, but don't know what to do with two
people genuinely collaborating together in different media.
Sylvia Mondloch
---
Mark & Sylvia Mondloch
Silver Creek Pottery & Forge
W6725 Hwy 144
Random Lake ,Wi 53075
HotArt@silvercreekpottery.com
http://www.silvercreekpottery.com
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