Mark & Linda on thu 20 jan 05
Mel wrote:
t is very interesting that when at mendocino, a group
of potters asked me to do an informal discussion about
selling pots. they needed help and advice.
it was held at 8 p.m. after things had settled down.
they were going to show a movie.
i think all the folks showed up.
at least 90.
we talked until 11.
the movie was cancelled. it was ninth hour of teaching last friday.
folks like michael wendt gave wonderful insight into
his business. he makes money, and works very hard.
others were very clear about the frustrations they had
over galleries and shops/commission work and stores.
Mel
I'm sorry I missed this late workshop. I skipped the movie as I had
seen it twice .
I, like many potters who have been at it for over 30 years have a few
insights on sales.
Michael's very hard work sums it up for me. That is the only way I
have made $$ with clay as a studio potter. The juried art fair
circuit can be grueling. It is tons of driving and is very hard work
but it does work for me. The 3 galleries also help as well. The most
important thing for a production potter like me is work. I have a
strong work ethic. My deceased mentor (Reese Bullen) instilled that
into me somehow. Now after 30 years of studio time behind me I still
know that you have to put in the time to bring home the dime. I am
slowing down some (over 50) getting back to 12 fairs a year down from
16, taking time to try new art (Wall fish) and an occasional salt
fire for my sanity. I still love the clay- the fire- and the
customer The workshop was great thanks again. Mark Cortright
www.liscomhillpottery.com
mel jacobson on thu 20 jan 05
it is very interesting that when at mendocino, a group
of potters asked me to do an informal discussion about
selling pots. they needed help and advice.
it was held at 8 p.m. after things had settled down.
they were going to show a movie.
i think all the folks showed up.
at least 90.
we talked until 11.
the movie was cancelled. it was ninth hour of teaching last friday.
folks like michael wendt gave wonderful insight into
his business. he makes money, and works very hard.
others were very clear about the frustrations they had
over galleries and shops/commission work and stores.
there is a real thirst to make potteries economically viable.
they want to be able to sell their pots, and take
responsibility for them. make a small profit. a fair days
pay. they need help finding the bottom line.
i am proud to be able to help with that.
i support in every way making work with great skill
and craft. but, i am also very involved in helping
potters make a living. a fair living.
i want tony, david and thousands of others to
have a dignified business. i would do anything to help
the working potters find ways to make a living.
i work here in america, and i know i am constrained by
our own values and traditions in selling pots and
making hand made things, i cannot use another cultures
tools. (and many of them are lovely, meaningful, but
most americans would not understand them, i know my
customers would be confused.)
i do not have to quote anyone about this. it has been
my life. i am very proud of fine crafts people and pleased to be one of
them.. men and women
working to keep the craft alive. it is not easy in 2005.
when i lived in japan, my pots had to have boxes. it was
the culture of kyoto, no pot was sold without a box. the guy
that made the boxes lived two blocks from us. i spent over
five hundred dollars of my own money on boxes, and they were
all made individually as the pots that i brought from america
were not even close to the same size. but, i had to do it.
my exhibitions sold many pots/but expenses were great and
i did not come back to america with cash in fist. i broke even,
and my hands were trained, that is why i went.
i have never pretended to be a japanese potter. i am norwegian.
minnesota guy, and i do not wear wooden shoes and a head band.
i make minnesota kinda pots. my painting is almost the same
as 1966. it is mine.
my research for joe is just that, research. to help a fine engineer
complete his life's work. my hands, my kiln. it is not a
fake. it is real. and, we will open a wonderful exhibit at
the AMOCA (Los Angeles, CA) on May 14th, Saturday night. Joe is
thrilled. and, i am for him and for me. it is a wonderful study.
i am pleased that john britt and others are close to figuring
it out. they did it from clues and ideas that we have been
feeding. it is not a recipe, and they are smart fellows.
it is a theory. all the parts must
be in place. it is not a secret. it is just temmoku. in fact
ron's black magic is just perfect for the study. it is mixing
and layers. what else? iron, the perfect oxide for pots. the oldest
and still beautiful.
mel
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com
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