Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Kiln-Opening Saturday, July 4th, 11 a.m.




We will have our first summer kiln-opening this Saturday, starting a series of small Saturday events here at the pottery. I will fire the kiln Friday and it should be cool enough to open by 11 a.m. These kiln-openings are always chancy affairs, not knowing until the door is open what kind of glaze results we've got. But people seem to like to see and handle the newly fired, still-warm pots.
And we've found here that the best way to get our pots into the hands of buyers is to invite them here to the pottery. Craft shows and galleries are fine, but inviting people into your home and studio seems to be a good way of making new friends and customers.
It will be only me this weekend, but in the coming openings - most of them two weeks apart - we will have a single guest artist showing work in a tent on the lawn. Donna Sutherland's paintings and prints, Donna Andrews-Maness's jewelry, Kim Collins's jewelry and a couple of other Cape artists and their work will be part of shows through the summer.
We will open the kiln at 11 a.m. and unload pots, then our gallery will be open until 4 p.m.
The bisque-fired pitchers seen above are now in the kiln and will come out glazed Saturday morning. The finished pots on the kiln shelf, also above, are from our last firing, about a month ago. And the pitcher with flowers from Dee's garden here is to illustrate that even if you don't use a pitcher on your table for water or milk or sangria (but, of course, you should ... ), you can still use a pitcher as a vase. My friend Maria Blackburn of Maryland said something like that when she looked at her new pitcher a couple of days ago. "I can put flowers in this," she said, showing that she thinks right about her pots.
We'll be open Saturday at 10 a.m., with the kiln opened an hour later.
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Driving Directions: From Route 151, enter Boxberry Hill Road at the blinking traffic light at the intersection of 151, Boxberry Hill and Sam Turner, we're on the right, at the corner of Brady Drive, with a "Pottery" sign out front. Park in the driveway on Brady Drive. Coming from Falmouth via Sandwich Road, take a left on Hatchville Road at the Falmouth Jewish Congregation, pass Coonamessett Farm and bear right at the next fork. Hatchville Road dead ends at Boxberry Hill Road. Turn left at the stop sign and we're the second house on the left.

10 comments:

Dan Finnegan said...

Sounds like a good plan, Hollis. Your place ought to charm the money right out of their wallets!

Hollis Engley said...

Well ... we'll see. At least they'll see the pots. How did Rufford go for you? Or didn't you sell pots?

Barry said...

We plan to be there!

Hollis Engley said...

Great. That's at least two who will be here. Good to see you two the other day, and the eggs are great. Thanks. A good trade for the mug.

Anonymous said...

nice pitcher with flowers... good luck at the big event

Hollis Engley said...

Thanks, Jim. Looks like it will be a day without rain, a rare thing this summer.

Hannah said...

How did it go Holis? Honestly you and Dan what a pair! I may not believe a word of it but thanks for the comment, made me smile.
h
x

Hollis Engley said...

Believe it all, Hannah. And yes, we are occasionally a pair. I'm glad you guys have gotten to know each other over there. Has he confessed his pie addiction to you yet?
Oh, and the opening went ... ummm ... slowly. Doing the first one on the big national holiday on the best day - so far - of the summer, was perhaps not the best planning. The pots were great, the crowds ... not. But a few people showed and a few pots sold. We'll do it all again on the 18th. Thanks for asking, Hannah.

Paul Jessop said...

Hi Hollis, I was gonna ask how it went but Hannah beat me to it. I think it's a great Idea to have events at the workshop especially regular ones because news will soon get around and the crowds will grow and grow, hopefully in an Organic kind of way, if you get my drift.

Hollis Engley said...

I hope you're right, Paul. Another one coming this weekend. We'll see if it grows. Wish me luck.