Against all Skutt manual advice, I placed my kiln outside, here she is covered with a tarp to shield from the winter weather. Haven’t had any problems yet with this set up, although i looked out there this morning and it was at 29 degrees…brrr. don’t think that will hurt the elements, anyone ever experience any problems with electric kilns outside?

beautiful isn’t it.

The guys sledding, we just happen to have one of the best sledding hills we’ve found right on our driveway…but you better be well stocked because you can’t get down it.

hope everyone is having a warm winter day.

This entry is to air some of the questions i have been confronted with lately.

Right before i left to go out of town for 2 weeks, I decided to listen to a good friend of mine and go ahead and risk my ego again (isn’t that what artists do so well after all).

I sent some images into a local gallery, this place being a goal of 5 years from now, I went ahead and chanced introducing myself to them. Unbenonce to me, they actually wanted to see my work in person so I took some work over and got an incredible critique and sold some cups to them wholesale.

So, my foot is in the door. Now, I am not what I would call a production potter, however, they have asked me to change some things about my website to make it more user friendly. The gallery manager asked me to get together my images in a printable format or to make a portfolio of all that i do with all the color options. She showed me some of the big time potters books where all of what they make is listed as well as the color options. I learned a lot from this visit.

Is this the direction i should be going in? I want to be in that gallery so badly and grow this foot in the door that i have, but am i ready to make objects over and over again without being able to change some things. Am I needing to make another “wholesale” type work that will sell specifically at certain galleries and shops?

Something that i have always enjoyed about my work is being able to change when i want, try new things, surfaces, etc. But, will the wholesale world stop this for me? I know that other potters do certain things for wholesale and other work for different venues, but am i able to keep up with that with a small child at home?

I’m excited to be able to have started this relationship with this gallery and others, the feedback is priceless to me, especially since I’m not in a public studio anymore where the feedback was at my doorstep.

Working is all i can do. Keep working. that has been my motto all along.

But, I’m curious how others came to where they are in marketing their work right now. I just bought the book Crafting as a business by Wendy Rosen, which seems to have very valuable information in it. I was curious about the Buyers Market for American Craft which is held in Feb. in Phil. I was wanting to go there as a visiting artist to see what it’s all about. They suggested this book to newbies.

It’s hard not being around a lot of potters to ask anymore. I’m really starting to feel the heat of not having community around me like i used to.

There is the clay club that meets in various places around that I have not participated in like i probably need to. Then, there are relationships with other potters that i have kept up and those are priceless. Also, taking a workshop or class here and there and teaching have helped to keep me in conversation about clay, these are all good i feel. But, there needs to be more.

Funny, the first thing the book suggests to do is find community and a mentor. I think I will move on this somehow…..

This brings me to the blog.

Meredith Heywood at whynotpottery.com has come up with this amazing idea to have a show with all these potter bloggers. The show is to present the value of having a blog as a potter and how the writings have helped connect and fulfill a missing link in the studio; community. This is so interesting to me as i strive to find this in my own world with clay.

I’ve enjoyed reading about Meaders pottery in cleveland, georgia. The thick tradition of the pottery being in their blood. This commitment is beautiful to me, but i wonder, did any of them ever feel trapped by it? Making the same things over and over again, the orders were large and the workers were few, that means they probably worked all day everyday making the same things.

I used to work for a production potter that worked this way. We were filling wholesale orders. That is what I did, make the same objects over and over. Not sure this is what i want.

whoo, that was a lot. Better take a break. I can’t think this way for too long or i’ll get depressed.

Back to the studio i go…..only 30 min. until nap times over!!!

I was pleased with both of them and had a great time. My home show in my town was a great event and i loved introducing my pots to the town i live in. It is important to me to have a presence in my own town.

I have pots left from the shows, so check my etsy site for updates if you missed it and wanted to get something special for someone.

www.anniesingletary.etsy.com

order before Dec. 18th to get by Christmas.

Or contact me: annsingletary@gmail.com for other inquiries.

ok, here’s what was most popular. I called this the triple dipper and i sold out of them. you can use it for so many different things that i think that’s what is appealing about them. It’s very funny though, i can never predict what will sell. this is something I always hear from potters.

Is there a way to know? you make 5 of an item and sell out, so you make 12 for the next show and don’t sell one.

Interesting ways of retail…..always keeps you guessing.

here’s some items i have left

I’ll be back in the studio after Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Until then I’ll be trying to post a little about various things.

Annie Singletary Ceramics has unique and affordable items that make great gifts for

moms, sisters, aunts, friends or anyone.

Prices from $15 to $175

*Black Mountain Home Show

December 5, 2009

2-7pm

Ann Boyd’s Home

304 New Bern Road

Black Mountain, NC 28711

**”All in the details”, pottery by Joy Tanner and Annie Singletary, at Pottery 101 Gallery, Salisbury, NC, November 20, 2009, through December 2009

**2009 Black Mountain Home Show, Decemeber 5th, 2pm-7pm @ the Boyd Home. Pieces ranging in prices from $20- $250

Hope you can come to one of them!!! Great for Christmas shopping!!!

Or you can order from me online @ anniesingletary.etsy.com

I’ve been working so hard making pots, glazing, firing then doing all over again. I’ve never been able to work this consistently before and it’s coming with great rewards, such as: improving upon an idea, developing ideas to a more completed state and being consistent in a body of work I am producing. It’s so great to be able to really work hard and be proud of what’s coming out of the kiln.

The new stains have been good, however, I’m having trouble with my kiln firing too hot on the bottom. I am there when the cones go down but have not found the magic spot for my glaze, it’s only a few pots that get messed up but it’s strange. Either some pots pinhole because they are not healing over or they run like crazy off the pot. I have lost 2 big bowls from the running and that hurts.

i thought when i started firing electric that things would be easier and more predictable and they are , however, with the computer kiln i feel like i have very little control, so i’m learning about that reading my manual like crazy.

What to do now? Test, test, test. And keep making work. I have checked everything, vacuumed the kiln and now i’m using an ohmmeter to see if some elements are about to go bad. These are things that we have to deal with.

It’s strange but situations like this make me more inspired. I love a challenge and i love figuring things out. This is a good good thing when being a potter…..you have to be resiliently creative.

but….it makes it hard when getting ready for shows.

this form is my new covered jar form which i’m really excited about because it takes very well for the raised decoration I’m doing. I made some stamps of my same pattern i do. These will add some visual interest by deepening the flat surface.

Something else happened this past week that was a wake up call to me. I had applied to be in this shop here in Black Mountain and they decided that my work wasn’t the right fit for them. I was told that their customers are very traditional and that my work was more contemporary. This was hard for me to hear, since I’m just starting to try for some wholesale shops. I guess i thought that different would be good. i understand that where i live there is a large market for traditional and that i’m working with more modern patterns and color.

So, this leaves me in an interesting place. Wondering, where do I fit? I know that all professional potters have to confront this question head on and either you run and hide or you take it on and sprint full force ahead….there’s probably some in between in there but i’m a runner and even though i don’t like to sprint, i like to run long distances and this means i have endurance and can withstand the no’s……at least i’m trying.

So many obstacles and so little time, but this is some goodness that keeps me going.

And there you have it.

Hopefully next time I will have figured out the kiln problem, until then, have a great week.Thanks for reading.

So, there you go, something to use frozen clay and slip for.

I am a little hesitant now to work at night in there. this is not going to work though. ive had a few great suggestions; a paintball gun, a bell  to hang right outside the door and a flashlight….what a novel idea to have a flashlight i can honestly say i had never thought of this being a good thing to have….get a clue Annie. I am picturing myself as this crazy potter lady ringing my bell and carrying my flashlight, is this what i’ve become?

my mason stains came in from US pigments and i’ve been mixing some great colors up for accents, zirconium, bright orange, bermuda…so exciting! loaded a kiln with those in today. i leave you with this amazing fabric pattern i’m in love with, from Lost city fabrics.

have a great weekend. don’t you love fall.

very ghetto but  love it. not only can i hide from my 3 yr. old son so he’s not curious about all of this, but it’s quite quaint.

the backdrop is from www.phototechinc.com

i use the gray to black backdrop.

The light box is made from foam core and fabric backing.

The bulbs i use are 300 watt and i set my white balance on my camera using a gray card.

I use foam core with fabric backing to diffuse the light defusers.

a friend just told me a new bit of advice about using foil on one side of object instead of a light on either side. this help take the glare away.

I’ve been using a clear glossy glaze and this is causing a lot of hot spots (which is the glare).

Can’t wait to try this new trick. thanks Joy

I’ve been working on creating depth in my surface without overwhelming the detail in the form. I am having so much fun playing with some white gold  luster and these precious little floral decals.I have loved English china for a long time and am finally getting an element of what i love so much about it; the small details that give intimacy to a piece.

I’m trying to work on taking my images with this glossy clear glaze without getting

I have been also using some new colorants for my slips. I ordered from US pigments and found some really great deals on some pretty expensive mason stains. I’m excited to get them in the mail, but in the meantime I am using some that were given to me a while ago, like this orange shown above. This new color really gets me excited about Fall.

i’ll let you know about the mason stains, the prices seem almost to good to be true.

check out my etsy site: new pots up for sale www.anniesingletary.etsy.com