clennell on sun 14 may 06
Sour Cherry Pottery
> --- In clayart@yahoogroups.com, "Tom at Hutchtel.net" wrote:
>
>
>> ...calling yourself
>> "potter" cuts your price level considerably. And calling your place a
>> pottery, does the same. Doesn't matter that that's what it is and
> what you
>> are...most people expect low prices and functional ware from those
> words.
>
> I think it depends on where you live and also the actual work.
> The potter/pottery is respected here in Japan, and all economic ranges
> are present.
Tom and Lee:
Tom I understand your aversion to the title ceramic artist. It brought back
a memory for me. My aunt and uncles business was called Pinecroft Ceramic
Art Studio when they started it in 1947. My uncle had worked from age 14 in
"The Potteries" of England and western Canada. "The Potteries" was where you
laboured. it was not full of highly educated people like we that do pottery
now. When he went off to college to study ceramics after the war he felt he
was not working in a factory pottery anymore. he was doing handmade and
therefore one of a kind ware. Even Mel's reference to his friendship with
David the other day and reference to him being a production potter made me
think this description is not quite accurate. David although he makes a line
of domestic ware, i don't feel he is a production potter.
My uncle was proud to be a potter and claimed it an honest and honourable
way for a person to make a living. Potter is a different being now. One that
does everything from mopping the floor to designing and making the ware. My
uncles memorey of "the Potteries" was a division of labour- throwers,
trimmers, glazers,kiln loaders, saggar makers tec, etc.. Probably Mel and
Richard witnessed this same thing recently in China.
I am more willing to accept 'fine craftsman" as a title but i think it may
look weird on our sign to say "fine craftspersons". Dunno just doesn't grab
me.
Best to you both.
Cheers,
Tony
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
Liz Willoughby on sun 14 may 06
Tony and All,
I also have been thinking about what we call ourselves, and how we
should promote ourselves to the public. It is probably my "age" that
has leaned towards being called a "potter" all these years. In the
70's it was a proud way of saying you simply made things out of clay.
Subsequent generations of people who have gone to an arts and crafts
school, "Sheridan" in Ontario, or elsewhere in an academic setting
usually lean towards "ceramic artist". Me, I am not comfortable with
that nomenclature, and I can't explain why. The funny thing is I
also feel just a little uncomfortable with the word "artist", because
it makes me feel like I am giving "airs" to myself. I know that this
is not reasonable.
I still like potter, but it does conjure up the image of the English
potter working in a "pottery".
What about, "Clay objects made by Hand", "The Unique Clay Spot".
"Vessels Made from Clay"
"Pots for Use, Made by Hand", "Unique Hand Made Clay Vessels"
"Hand Made Pottery for Use." "The King's Road Clay Gallery" -(just
for Sheila and Tony)
Anyone else got any brilliant ideas????
Liz from Grafton, Ontario,
whose lilacs are busting to bloom, and pots are again piling up for a
wood firing in a couple of weeks.
>
>I am more willing to accept 'fine craftsman" as a title but i think it may
>look weird on our sign to say "fine craftspersons". Dunno just doesn't grab
>me.
>Best to you both.
>Cheers,
>Tony
lee love on mon 15 may 06
It has been my observation, that there are more potters making a
living from their work than their are artists or writers. When I
lived at Northern Warehouse Artists Cooperative, the only artists in
the building making a living from their work were teachers and
commercial artists. When we had our art crawls, the artists there
envied my sales. The artists who were able to make some money were
usually folks that sold less expensive reproductions or greeting cards
and refridgerator magnets. Hey, don't even ask about the financial
plight of dancers and poets!
I remember, when I was taking many workshops in the early '90s,
hearing Matt Metz say that his Profs all told him that selling
expensive work in galleries was the only way to go. But he said that
his teachers could only do that because of their full time teaching.
He gravitated toward making functional work that did a better job at
paying the bills. Jeff Oestrich said, at that time, that he made two
lines of work: functional and gallery work (tea pots, vases, etc.)
He said the gallery work wasn't moving like it did earlier, and that
he was putting less emphasis on it and was moving back toward the
functional work.
Grass is always greener on the other side of the hill. But I
don't think potters have anything to envy related to the life of your
typical artist. Actually, I wish art was as widely supported as
pots are. :^) You know a culture by what it will spend its money on.
--
Lee In Mashiko, Japan
http://togeika.googlepages.com/
http://seisokuro.blogspot.com/
"Love is the virtue of the heart
Sincerity the virtue of the mind
Courage the virtue of the spirit
Decision the virtue of the will."
--Frank Loyd Wright
clennell on mon 15 may 06
Sour Cherry Pottery
>
> "Hand Made Pottery for Use." "The King's Road Clay Gallery" -(just
> for Sheila and Tony)
>
David: I felt production potter was not a suitable description of your work
not because of the measly amount you produce but because of the variety of
work that was so obviously not a production run. 3 animated jars, 2 of this,
mugs of every shape and description. A big surprise for someone expecting
production pottery.
Liz: The King's Road would be a dignified name because that's what it once
was called. This road that I live on has had some great names- Heritage
Highway, Brock Trail(where General Brock led his troops to do the battle of
Niagara), Old #8 (this one I really like), the King's Highway, King Street,
and now in the wisdom of the regional government it is called Regional Road
81. What tourist driving along from Texas would look at their road map and
say oh gee Regional Road 81 sounds like an interesting name of a road to
travel.
As for what to call yourself anything but "crafter". I hate that name.
That's what they call people that make ca-ca on a stick.
Post holes to dig- building a new deck.
Best,
Tony
I named the Pottery after the fields of sour cherries behing my house that
are all now gone. There is more money in wine than food.
val on sat 20 may 06
The Pinecroft Studio in Aylmer Ontario?...
Val
val@tlaz.com
Tom and Lee:
Tom I understand your aversion to the title ceramic
artist. It brought back a memory for me. My aunt and
uncles business was called Pinecroft Ceramic Art Studio
when they started it in 1947. My uncle had worked from
age 14 in "The Potteries" of England and western
Canada. "The Potteries" was where you laboured. it was
not full of highly educated people like we that do
pottery now. When he went off to college to study
ceramics after the war he felt he was not working in a
factory pottery anymore. he was doing handmade and
therefore one of a kind ware. Even Mel's reference to
his friendship with David the other day and reference
to him being a production potter made me think this
description is not quite accurate. David although he
makes a line of domestic ware, i don't feel he is a
production potter. My uncle was proud to be a potter
and claimed it an honest and honourable way for a
person to make a living. Potter is a different being
now. One that does everything from mopping the floor to
designing and making the ware. My uncles memorey of
"the Potteries" was a division of labour- throwers,
trimmers, glazers,kiln loaders, saggar makers tec,
etc.. Probably Mel and Richard witnessed this same
thing recently in China. I am more willing to accept
'fine craftsman" as a title but i think it may look
weird on our sign to say "fine craftspersons". Dunno
just doesn't grab me. Best to you both. Cheers, Tony
Tony and Sheila Clennell Sour Cherry Pottery 4545 King
Street Beamsville, Ontario CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
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