Not so much any more, though it's still a good show. It's three days (plus one, if I set up Thursday) of driving an hour or more down-Cape and back every day, and with luck coming home with many fewer pots than I take with me.
I love making and firing pots. I hate retailing them. I am not a naturally sunny-dispositioned kind of guy. So three days of smiling and saying "Good morning" to people who walk into my tent out of aimless curiosity wears me out. And that's just in the morning. Saying "Good afternoon" always sounds to me like too many syllables. So after noon I go with "Hello," which seems inoffensive, attention-getting and - if I smile - relatively friendly. About a third of the time, people react as if I haven't spoken at all. Which is to say they don't react at all. I sometimes have to check my volume level and turn it up to 11.
Can you tell that I get cranky as I get closer to a show? Guilty. I do indeed. And before you ask, I do the shows in spite of my antipathy toward them because it gets the pots out there in front of people and brings in more money than if I waited here in the Falmouth countryside for visitors to show up. They usually don't.
All of this is to set up the photos of the glazing that's going on now in the studio. I'm trying to squeeze in one more firing next week so that I can have new pots for Chatham. Also, a lovely big teabowl came out of the last firing - layered in Shino and ash glazes - and I wanted to make a few more of those. And some brushworked Nuka cups. See, I love making these things.
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Here are some photos, including the top one, a detail of a fired big jar with overlapped Shinos and ash glazes. The middle two pots have just been glazed. The fish at the bottom was a dry run before attacking pots.
9 comments:
Oh the carefree life of the artist. Money for nothin, chicks for free, sleep til noon....
Yes! The Happy Potter! It must be so wonderful to work with your hands. (To which I respond that yes, it is wonderful, but it is work.....huh?) The other one that gets me is, "You are so lucky to be able to do that." As if the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow got dumped on my head!
OOPS! I'll stop letting my snarkiness show!
Toes crossed for asuccess!
Thanks, Suzi. I guess we all have the same stories. I just discovered Whitney Smith's blog last week, while I was at the very sleepy show in Eastham. Well worth reading.
And yes, Dennis, the money for nothin and chicks for free thing has yet to happen for me.
You guys are a riot and it seems those chicks would need to be stewing age for you two.
I would love to sleep until noon...
All that being nice and smiling does wear one out.
Sheesh, didn't know I was supposed to smile... I've got a show next weekend and wondering why I spent so much time throwing when it's not going to all fit into the kiln and I don't have time to do 2 loads. It's hot here 110 at least and in my over heated ness I knocked over a large post which then busted the handles of my stacked greenware. I am pretty cranky and was thinking at least this weekend I can sit awhile. Forgot I have to smile when people say how they can get mugs just like this a target for 5 bucks! I do love it all the same and can't seem to stop. Every kiln opening still feels like Christmas. Maybe I can get way with being a cranky old lady? :)
I am highly offended at the chicken reference, Meredith.
'Stewing age!' Oh Meredith that's a cracker.
You and me both with the getting narky thing, I blame it on stress. It doesn't seem to get any easier either does it. Dam. Oh well, onwards and get selling and don't forget 'It must be so theraputic being a potter'.
What is it with the people pretending they didn't hear you?I sometimes ask myself if I said,"Hello" or "Good Morning", when I know that I did.Bizarre.
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