Thursday 10 July 2014

New pots in M.A.D.E.

Here are some of the pieces that are now for sale in M.A.D.E. in Newcastle-under-Lyme.









Wednesday 9 July 2014

Branching out.

Having tried another craft fair last month, we've decided they're just not worth the trouble. After organising a baby sitter, travelling to the venue, setting up etc we then spent several hours sat in a school hall waiting for someone to buy our work. It was a complete waste of time - virtually no visitors, and those that did come in wanted something for nothing. So, following this, Jen visited a local gallery / shop and asked if we could sell our pots via them for a small commission. they agreed and so far we've sold far more stock than any of the craft fairs we've been to. here's the link: http://www.visitnewcastleunderlyme.co.uk/business/made-here

Anyway, this isn't what the title of this post refers to! I've just bought myself a French easel via ebay. Pictured. I can't wait for it's arrival. I've been thinking about what to paint, when to paint etc. I like the idea of plein air painting as well as studio painting, but practicalities might dictate when I can paint. So, watch this space! I've uploaded some (very old) paintings that I did. the new stuff will be very different - wait and see!
 
Green coffee pot
Paddling
 
Sunlit flowers

Thursday 15 May 2014

Still here!

Hello, sorry for the long absence. It's so easy to get bogged down in daily life that blogging gets neglected. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I haven't disappeared and I am still making my pots.
Christmas was a good opportunity for Jenny to sell lots of her decorations. However, despite being more prepared than the previous year I still think that we need to start getting ready for this earlier in the year. I reckon we need to have stock in place by the middle of October and then spend the following 2 months marketing it.
I terms of my pots I've tried to take my work in a new direction. I seem to go through the routine of trying new clays, decorative techniques, glazes etc only to be disappointed when I open the kiln. Of course all this experimentation is incredibly time consuming as well as costly. It can be very frustrating to feel as though you're never making progress. However, each one of these disapointments yeilds a small lesson and I now feel like all these small lessons have begun to add up. I'm beginning to feel more in control of what I do and as a result I can plan my work with a greater degree of control over the final outcome. That's not to say that there wasn't some disappointment when I last opened the kiln, but rather there was more success, or at least, results that I'd aimed for.
Let's see if I can continue to capitalise on these successes.