Find me in the studio today…
Sunday afternoon, I made a larger prototype for my organic shaped bowl for which I had received an inquiry from a buyer on WSC . The glazed bowl to the right and on the bottom is my original bowl that I have uploaded to the site and while large at 8″ across and accomodating 24 oz. of liquid, the new bowl will be serving size large. Leatherhard, it measures 12″ across and 5″ high (though it will shrink during the bisque fire) – based on similarly sized bowls it will hold over 60 oz. of liquid. This will make an awesome set!
I only lost 1 bowl during my experimentation – but now think that I can easily replicate the larger sized one. I know I need another studio tool – a huge rolling pin, right now I’m using a standard sized one which just doesn’t cut it when one needs to roll out slabs larger that 12 inches wide. Yes, folks, I hand-roll my slabs of clay at my studio. I have access to the electric slab roller at the guild, but I wasn’t inclined to drive over to there to do my experimentation this past weekend. Now, the trick will be to dry it slowly to minimize warping when I fire it.
Today is a good day – bright, sunny and just right for a morning jaunt in the park after I drop my daughter off at school. I hope to get a good 6 hours in the studio before it’s time to pick up my Mile High Scholar at the end of the school day. Yes, she sure has made me proud this year!
Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with this image:
Bubblicious, white earthenware with acrylic paint by my daughter at age 9
He greats me every morning, pierced tongue sticking out at me, when I stumble down the flight of stairs to the kitchen looking for my caffeine fix. Thanks Jazz I love him!
I must get moving now,
Cynthia
Pampering Myself and I’d Rather Be in the Studio!
I spent most of yesterday in the studio and was pretty productive which felt great. So now you might be wondering where I’m going with this post given the title? Slowly, I’ve started adding inventory to my wholesalecrafts.com artist page, and was pleasantly surprised yesterday to receive an inquiry about my work from an upscale gift shop. My page on wholesalecrafts.com went live on March 13th – and I’m curious how long it might take to get a sale. The owner wanted to know if some of my pieces came in larger sizes – so my quest right now is to make a larger sized pasta type bowl, similar to the one above without excessive warping. It feels good to have a challenge & mission.
Speaking of wholesalecrafts.com, it is not free. It cost $395.00 for a year for artists to join, and is free for screened buyers. I figure a year’s time will be a good indicator whether it is a good avenue for my work. I do a few art fairs every year, and they are exhausting (and not exactly cheap either) – so if wholesalecrafts.com can bring buyers to me, it will mean less art fairs, though I do enjoy connecting with people in person who eventually take my work home.
When I finally came inside the house from the studio, it was almost 5:30 and I decided to take a bath – not something I do very often. It’s self indulgent and I don’t normally feel like I can afford to spend an hour soaking in the tub. Since it was Saturday night, I gave myself permission to pamper myself a bit and headed upstairs with an icy cold margarita and my copy of I’d Rather Be in the Studio! The artist’s no excuse guide to self promotion by Alyson B. Stanfield. I received it over a month ago, and it’s been sitting unread on my night stand since I can’t seem to keep my eyes open once my head hits the pillow. I started reading chapter 13, “Share, Don’t Sell” on building a mailing list. I took one of Alyson’s classes almost a year ago today, and I still don’t have an organized email mailing list – though I certainly have collected addresses. The good thing about Alyson’s book, is that you don’t need to read the book in order. You can jump around and find the information that you need – and there’s a ton of great information packed inside those pages.
Venus of Willendorf, circa 24,000 – 22,000 BCE
Meanwhile, I glanced down at my body while I was in the bath, and realized that I haven’t been taking care of myself lately. Naked, my body resembles the Venus of Willendorf. Okay, it’s really not that bad and water does serve as a magnifying glass. But, it reminded me that as artists, we really need to take care of ourselves. Art takes a lot of energy – both mental and physical, especially ceramics. I’ve gained a little weight over the winter. I think it’s had something to do with the fact that I couldn’t exercise like I would have liked since I suffered through a 5 week long chest cold that resulted in bouts of coughing if I did anything more strenuous than walking up a flight of stairs.
My running season is right around the corner – Denver Fit starts up on April 12th this year and I think I’m going to sign up for the full marathon this year, instead of just the half. Glutton for punishment? Most definitely. My husband once joked that he was going to buy me some Focus Factor since sometimes I seem to be all over the place. I think in tangents. In reality, running causes me to focus. I just realized that’s what I’m missing right now and why everythingl seems a bit off for me right now (and why I’ve put on a little weight). Remember my last post? Deepak Chopra also mentioned that exercise has the same effect as drugs when it comes to feeling happier.
So, what’s my point? Take care of yourself – your body, mind and career. If you don’t who will?
~Cynthia
& Cool Flickr Toy">Wholesalecrafts.com & Cool Flickr Toy
I’ve spend entirely too much time online recently, and can’t seem to sign off when I mentally tell myself to. So, the other day, I uploaded some new photos to flickr and started messing around with some widgets and such while I was there. I came across Big Huge Labs, that nabs some of your photos to create this cool little mini banner.
Meanwhile, I spent the better part of 2 hours applying to wholesalecrafts.com this morning. A rep called me this am to follow up with an inquiry that I had sent them. I sort of forgot about it, but then, thought, “What the heck, let’s see what she has to say!” She gave me temporary access to the site for me to peruse, and answered all my questions. It’s $395.00 a year, if I am accepted. That’s a lot of dough, but, I asked a few people who are represented by wholesale crafts and they’re doing great – so it could be worth the investment. One artist I know even closed her Etsy shop because of the amount of business coming her way.
In other news, I terminated my relationship with online retailer, Asian iCandy, this am. They haven’t sold any of my work, so I don’t think it was a good fit. It was a drop-ship arrangement, so overall, it was a good experiment. I think it’s really hard to sell things online without the buyer being able to physically see and hold an item – and I don’t know what their marketing plan is or how they reach their customers. Wholesale would be a much better investment of my time and efforts. Money upfront, make the work and then send.
That doesn’t mean I will not do Etsy, art fairs or other venues – it’s just another avenue to make a living doing what I love.
I did a little more work on my clay bird monotype – it’s really more of a painting now.
That’s it for today,
~Cynthia
