For those who don't know this peninsula, you should know that the town of Chatham, at the eastern "elbow" of the Cape, is renowned as one of Cape Cod's wealthiest summer communities. Well-kept and expensively traditional homes, lots of pastel colors on the ladies, high-end shops. And a really good art and craft show - The Festival of the Arts, by the Chatham Creative Arts Center - every August for the past 38 years.
I was lucky enough to be juried in this year, with a space between painter Oana Lauric of Maine (and her helper Peggy Jo Fague) and weaver Carol Clay of North Carolina and her husband Mac. Both Oana and Carol are stunning artists, and they both, with their helpers, make very good neighbors.
Three tents up the "street" from me was Denny Howard, a fine potter from Sagamore, here on the Cape. Denny and I have known each other through the Cape Cod Potters for about 10 years. He makes elegant Shino and ash pots, and displays them elegantly. My booth had a certain yard sale appearance compared to Denny's. Pots piled on pots. I always have more pots than I know what to do with. I should probably edit more, but I always think there's that one pot a buyer can't see that I just know they'd buy if it was out there.
Still, people spent money and it was a pretty good show for me. Three days of sun, heat and a bit of a breeze coming from the south. I sold several of the Shino teabowls that came out of the kiln the day before the show started. That was gratifying, seeing teabowls I'm excited about wrapped, bagged and on their way to someone's home. I wondered whether Chatham was the best place to sell fairly funky carbon-trapped and loosely-thrown Shino work, but it seemed to work pretty well. Bless you, Chatham. I hope I'll be back next year.
The photos: My pots and me, taken by Denny Howard; Denny and his pots; Oana and Peggy Jo, searching out recipes in the world's greatest food magazine; the view across the path from behind my booth.
Now, back to making more pots.
4 comments:
I am in the same yard sale mode with my booth I think, but everyone buys something different and I never know what to leave out. Maybe I should edit what I make! Looks like the weather was kind to you, great place to spend a couple of days, glad it went well!!
Thanks, Tracey. It's a nice town and the weather was lovely. But I'm glad not to make that drive every day.
Congratulations for your sales Hollis. It likes me to seeing the photos of a fair in your country, I have always had curiosity to know how they were the markets of pottery. It's usual that in different cities or villages fairs of pottery are made?
Now I imagine you have to work a little for the next time...good work.
Muchas gracias, Maria. In this country, there are many art and craft fairs in the summer. But they are rarely only pottery. Usually, pottery, woodwork, paintings and prints, weaving, jewelry, many different kinds of handwork. England and Europe seem to be the place where there are shows with only pottery. And yes, it's time to make more pots.
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