clennell on tue 26 jul 05
From the descriptions of some of the cups on clayart they belong in the
under $20 bin. Straight sided cylinder with a handle and maybe dipped in two
glazes. Anything over $20 and this is highway robbery. No talk of even an
interesting decorative process.
The list is long of the details and embellishments that I add to a cup to
squeak an extra $5 out. I honour the cup more than to reach in the kiln and
pull them out 4 in each hand.
If my cup is on EP's table and a person picks the under 20 over mine then I
think they should not have to spend too much time in art therapy and with a
minor adjustment of their meds they should be just fine. If ya can't tell
the difference between the two buy the cheapest one. It's a no brainer.
My goal for my career is to begin to make fewer pots and charge more. I've
done the 200 mugs a day throwing marathons. I would not want to own one of
those cups. Slam, bam, thank you, mame.
I like to work on a series of 30 mugs- tops! They will take me all morning
to trim, handle, build in all my details and slip decorate. There might even
be few for after lunch.
I ain't slow, I'm just lovin the process.
Cheers,
Tony
Cheers,
Tony
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com/current_news/news_letter.html
Cat Jarosz on tue 26 jul 05
In a message dated 7/26/2005 8:58:02 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
clennell@SYMPATICO.CA writes:
If ya can't tell
the difference between the two buy the cheapest one. It's a no brainer.
My goal for my career is to begin to make fewer pots and charge more. I've
done the 200 mugs a day throwing marathons. I would not want to own one of
those cups. Slam, bam, thank you, mame.
I like to work on a series of 30 mugs- tops! They will take me all morning
to trim, handle, build in all my details and slip decorate. There might even
be few for after lunch.
I ain't slow, I'm just lovin the process.
Cheers,
Tony
LOL what a co inky dink... I was next to a potter at the Guild show this
past LONG weekend and he was selling these huge shino mugs for 15 dollars..
he had fabulous lidded vessels and wall platters and I do not think one
thing in his 1/2 booth was priced over 60 dollars. He did not have a orange
dot on his sign which denotes that you wholesale pots either.. yet the guy
could have sold wholesale for more than he was retailing...
His excuse and he was fiercely protective of his reasons ( must have been
asked why a lot) was that the competition was fierce and the market is
flooded and " he " unlike most of us potters makes his entire living with clay
and needs to eat as he is hungry..... whoaaaaa there is just no talking to
people like that so I just backed away slowly... he was
cutting his own throat but hey he was new at the show.... His excuse was he pumps
em out and can make a zillion a day.. ( exaggerate but a potter knows my
drift )
Myself I finally went up to 25 dollars for a mug... I have been at 24
dollars for a mug for yrs and yrs and yrs.. my soup mugs went to 26 and my
espresso cup with saucers went to 35 and the new adult size cup and saucers
are priced at 35.... 24 -25 is about the norm for mugs in this area..
Meaning for potters that are established and are real good at it.
Beginners are priced different and I think should be.. but beginners are not in the
guild.
I too have always thought of the mug as a loss leader. So many folks have
lived with a mug for a yr and come back and bought from me over and over..
its good PR... I have done faster mugs in my past but I have always
been a handle freak.. I spend a lot of time on handles... I love em and I
love proud handles.. heck I love anything I add to a pot to be proud.. you
know its there and was added.. ps this love I got from Mick Casson !!! He
verbalized what it was I love about additions.. I am almost ashamed to say
I spend problebly 2 1/2 days doing 30 mugs.... heck I spent 2 weeks doing 65
mugs for a bunch of high school kids graduation gifts.. but the detail
and the things I did to the mugs took that kind of time.. Art you can put
your LIPS ON..... ps Gayle Bair makes the most beautiful work of art on
her mugs and you can bettcha bottom dollar that she is not pumpin em out..
I love her work but no handle yet LOL
Sometimes its not all about $$$$ if that was important to me I would go
back to school and learn a trade that PAYS well... I HAVE TO WORK... I am
not rich.. I have a husband that is my #1 fan and loves me so much that he
can live without soooo much... we dont do vaca and we dont have a boat and we
dont have all the doo dads so many people think you need to be happy... but
I get to go to a job everyday that I LOVE.. That I have passion for... My
dog gets to go with me... maybe one day when my body falls apart I will
be the greeter at wally world but untill then I am in my itty bitty studio
"in the ZONE" working my magic and getting some damn nice work done to
hopefully bring some art into peoples lives..
Some of us potters were talking about the huge influx of potters to the
Asheville area... its way flooded now... I think it will eventually be a good
thing but right now we are in flux. Its tough ... I think long term we
will become known as a pottery mecca and pottery lovers will come ... Thats
what I hope at least.. but its sad seeing potters feeling forced to undercut
themselves.
Sorry to be so long winded. I heard aol was letting clay art in again
and yet I didnt get it still... soooo I went to the join up section and re
applied to be a list member and ohhh the JOY of waking up today and seeing
CLAY ART AGAIN.... woo hooo spin on head.. doing the archives is just
"not the same".. if you are forced to do it that way then you know what I speak
of..
Cat and Curly in the mountains of NC.. where we have had over 18" of
rain in a few weeks time and thats just at the airport. I think we got it
worse here in the hit or miss storms. have had sun for 2 days solid and
trying to dry out... the humidity is suckin the life out of everything.. YUCK..
http://www.guildcrafts.com/cat/
V)''(V woof & >^..^< mew; Chicks with beards rule !!!
(_o_)
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Elizabeth Priddy on tue 26 jul 05
my coffee cup is extremely decorative.
The stamp work on the foot/handle is
unique to each piece.
I went to your site and looked at the
espresso cups, the only muglike Pot
I saw there, and I might pick it from
my table as a $40 one. But I would not
pick it for everyday drinking. I like a
smooth and silky feel at my lip, even if the
rest of the pot is nubby. There was a
shino pitcher that looked promising, but
the beak would again, compete for lip space.
nice handles, but you can't tell how they
feel til you can pick it up, and Canada is
too far to travel.
The point of my table post was that no mug
can prove itself until it is in use.
The mugs on my site are from 10 years ago.
I will update with new ones. The ols ones sold well
but people were buying the painting, not the mug
as a functional item. So I stopped making them.
One of my mug problems is that I like plain
old diner mugs. The heavy white ones. I am frequently
surprised to pick up a famous mug and see that
I do not want it anymore.
That's what makes them so special.
E
clennell wrote:
From the descriptions of some of the cups on clayart they belong in the
under $20 bin. Straight sided cylinder with a handle and maybe dipped in two
glazes. Anything over $20 and this is highway robbery. No talk of even an
interesting decorative process.
The list is long of the details and embellishments that I add to a cup to
squeak an extra $5 out. I honour the cup more than to reach in the kiln and
pull them out 4 in each hand.
If my cup is on EP's table and a person picks the under 20 over mine then I
think they should not have to spend too much time in art therapy and with a
minor adjustment of their meds they should be just fine. If ya can't tell
the difference between the two buy the cheapest one.
Elizabeth Priddy
252-504-2622
1273 Hwy 101
Beaufort, NC 28516
http://www.elizabethpriddy.com
*If you are an extra-sensitive
or easily-offended type:
Remember that what I say is obviously
just my opinion based on my experiences
and that I, like most people, don't go around
intending to step on toes and make folks cry.
Take it with a grain of salt.
---------------------------------
Start your day with Yahoo! - make it your home page
Jim Willett on tue 26 jul 05
That's just it Tony,
You and Sheila have reached that point where you can take your time
and enjoy the process. You have worked your whole lives to get to this point
where you can enjoy the rewards of having done the 200 mug marathons. You've
"Paid your dues" so to speak.
Some of us who came late to the race are running fast to catch up.
The practice, practice, practice we get producing the pots for our wholesale
orders, turning out a complete line of dinnerware, bowls, platters, mugs,
you name it in repeatable sizes, designs (yes designs!) and colours),
strengthens our skills for the times when we do get to "play". We have the
same goal, we are just at a different place on the track.
We yearn for the luxury of having the time available to lavish
attention on thirty mugs, and we will get there. In the meantime we'll
continue to produce the best $20 mugs we know how.
http://www.outofthefirestudio.com/twenty%20dollar%20mug.htm
In the six years we have been producing pottery as Out of the Fire Studio we
have made tremendous improvements in our product line. Our goal too is to
make fewer pots and charge more. Every wholesale show sees our prices
increase, as well as our orders, so we are getting there. At the Alberta
Gift Show in three weeks we will be showing larger pieces aimed at Galleries
and Museum Gift Shops, etc. We'll soon find out if we are ready for the big
time.
Jim Willett and Cindy Clarke
Edmonton, Alberta
http://www.outofthefirestudio.com
http://potblog.outofthefirestudio.com
http://www.howtomakepottery.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of clennell
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 6:29 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Mug therapy
From the descriptions of some of the cups on clayart they belong in the
under $20 bin. Straight sided cylinder with a handle and maybe dipped in two
glazes. Anything over $20 and this is highway robbery. No talk of even an
interesting decorative process.
The list is long of the details and embellishments that I add to a cup to
squeak an extra $5 out. I honour the cup more than to reach in the kiln and
pull them out 4 in each hand.
If my cup is on EP's table and a person picks the under 20 over mine then I
think they should not have to spend too much time in art therapy and with a
minor adjustment of their meds they should be just fine. If ya can't tell
the difference between the two buy the cheapest one. It's a no brainer.
My goal for my career is to begin to make fewer pots and charge more. I've
done the 200 mugs a day throwing marathons. I would not want to own one of
those cups. Slam, bam, thank you, mame.
I like to work on a series of 30 mugs- tops! They will take me all morning
to trim, handle, build in all my details and slip decorate. There might even
be few for after lunch.
I ain't slow, I'm just lovin the process.
Cheers,
Tony
Jane Murray-Smith on tue 26 jul 05
I agree with you completeley Tony, and, I must add that I found the email
from Brad Sondal disturbing. $6.50 to $8.50 for a mug!? and they don't
sell? I am not surprised...
I hate to go all New Age on your ass, Brad, but,
there is truth in the belief that if thats' all you think your work is
worth, that's all you will get.
How many of us have had the experience of (or have heard of) something not
selling for months, then going the next day when the price was raised? And
then there is the wisdom of marketers, who know that the lowest price item
is percieved as lacking in value.
As relatively new to this as I am, I do believe that my time, as well as my
own personal style is worth something.
And I throw maugs at the rate of 8 an hour..this talk of 50, then 200 a day
is depressing ...even if my hands could throw that fast, my back would go on
strike .
Jane
----- Original Message -----
From: "clennell"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 5:28 AM
Subject: Mug therapy
> From the descriptions of some of the cups on clayart they belong in the
> under $20 bin. Straight sided cylinder with a handle and maybe dipped in
> two
> glazes. Anything over $20 and this is highway robbery. No talk of even an
> interesting decorative process.
> The list is long of the details and embellishments that I add to a cup to
> squeak an extra $5 out. I honour the cup more than to reach in the kiln
> and
> pull them out 4 in each hand.
> If my cup is on EP's table and a person picks the under 20 over mine then
> I
> think they should not have to spend too much time in art therapy and with
> a
> minor adjustment of their meds they should be just fine. If ya can't tell
> the difference between the two buy the cheapest one. It's a no brainer.
> My goal for my career is to begin to make fewer pots and charge more. I've
> done the 200 mugs a day throwing marathons. I would not want to own one of
> those cups. Slam, bam, thank you, mame.
> I like to work on a series of 30 mugs- tops! They will take me all morning
> to trim, handle, build in all my details and slip decorate. There might
> even
> be few for after lunch.
> I ain't slow, I'm just lovin the process.
> Cheers,
> Tony
>
> Cheers,
> Tony
> Tony and Sheila Clennell
> Sour Cherry Pottery
> 4545 King Street
> Beamsville, Ontario
> CANADA L0R 1B1
> http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
> http://www.sourcherrypottery.com/current_news/news_letter.html
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
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>
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> melpots@pclink.com.
>
Lee Love on wed 27 jul 05
clennell wrote:
> My goal for my career is to begin to make fewer pots and charge more. I've
> done the 200 mugs a day throwing marathons. I would not want to own one of
> those cups. Slam, bam, thank you, mame.
Tony,
My friend Euan told me that he learned to throw with a
clock with a second hand on it, next to the wheel in Bendigo. You were
allowed so many seconds for this and so many minutes for that. What he
learned at our teacher's workshop, was to throw the clock away. When I
was just starting my apprenticeship, he told me, "We are taught to
take the time we need to do the job right."
When I made mugs there, it was 30 mugs tops in a week.
But it was seldom that we had a continuous week just to work on pots.
Touching wet clay on the wheel was probably only about 10% of our job.
Don't hold me to it, but I think they are priced to about $750.00
each. You can see some here (they were in the opening show at the new
contemporary gallery at the Mingeikan in Tokyo. The show was a benefit
show for the remodeling: Sori Yanagi's designs, Shimaoka, MacKenzie,e
and David Leach) :
http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~ikiru/mackj.html
--
Lee Love
in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://seisokuro.blogspot.com/ My Photo Logs
"We can make our minds so like still water that beings gather about us that they may see,
it may be, their own images, and so live for a moment with a clearer,
perhaps even with a fiercer life because of our quiet."
-- W.B. Yeats
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