Brian Fields Pottery

Pricing in a bad economy

2009-10-11T09:53:00.004-04:00

Just read a blog post about the temptation to lower your prices when things aren't selling.
Assuming your prices are set correctly (whatever that is) in the first place, it makes a lot of sense.

Looking around, I sure haven't noticed many other sectors slashing prices. Sure, there are the department stores that have huge retail markup having 50% of sales, but you can be sure they are not selling below, or anywhere near, cost. If they are, they're making it up elsewhere (loss leader to get you in the store) or they're teetering on bankruptcy.

I thought this really fit in with a common theme I've been seeing out in the pottery blogosphere about how people are doing in the down economy. The thinking that makes the most sense for me is that, yes, the big expensive pieces might not be selling right now, so you might want to offer smaller, less complicated, time consuming pieces if you don't already. But offer them in addition to your other pieces, because you just don't know what will sell on any given day.

Check out Molly Gordon's blog here:
Why lowering your prices doesn’t work and how to resist the urge

Mark Hewitt in Raleigh,NC

2009-10-01T17:51:00.001-04:00

Mark Hewitt will be the guest speaker at the October 6th meeting of the Triangle Potter's Guild. The meeting will be 6:00PM in Stewart Theatre at Talley Student Center on the NC State main campus.

See the meeting flyer here:
Meeting Flyer

and Directions to Talley Student Center.

Starting again

2009-09-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

The blog posts have been few and far between for quite a while now. It's been everywhere from physically impossible to just painful or inconvenient to do much pottery at all since the accident last fall. While I have been able to keep up with the day job, it just doesn't leave much time or energy to do the fun part, POTTERY. I really find it hard to blog about it if I'm not doing it.

Since I can't do much myself, I have been trying to keep up with all the other pottery blogs and see what everyone else is up to. I've also spent a lot of time incubating ideas for forms and techniques I want to explore when I get back to it.

And so I began.

First, I had to renew my studio card, which I'd barely used in the past year. Then reacquaint myself with the studio. They've changed white stoneware clay bodies 3 or 4 times since last year I think. I still had a nearly full bag of one of the old ones hardening in my locker.... I wasn't wild about it to begin with, so I got a fresh bag of Loafers Glory, and started over. Little Loafers had been a favorite of mine, so I was happy to see it's big brother. LG is apparently cone 6-10, where LL is strictly 6, so they went with LG to simplify what they had to stock. I'm actually pretty excited to see what it does in a saggar firing.

I threw a couple 2 lb. 'vase-like objects', just to see if I remembered how, and get a feel for the clay again. The first one was hard, nothing seemed to flow. But the second one went a lot easier. This all took about 90 minutes - pretty much the limit of my endurance at this point. I never was the fastest thrower in the world, I like to take my time, but this was slow!

Having a bad day?

2009-07-01T06:45:00.001-04:00

The next time you're having a bad day and a pot or two collapses because you were pushing the envelope a bit too far, just remember these guys...

Gallery opening in Fayetteville

2009-06-25T06:00:00.002-04:00

One of my teachers and mentors, Edge Barnes is having an opening at Cape Fear Studios, 148 Maxwell St. in Fayetteville, NC this Friday, June 26 from 7 - 9 PM.

The show runs through July 22, 2009. If you're in the area, check it out!

For directions go to www.capefearstudios.com

To see more of Edge's work go to:
http://www.edgebarnes.com/

High tech from the 1700s

2009-03-02T19:09:00.004-05:00

A while back, I read an article in Ceramics Monthly about 'kacheloffens', or tile stoves. The idea intrigued me of having a large massive wood stove that used the fuel to heat up the tiles and slowly release it back into the room. This is accomplished by burning very hot, and using a long fule/chimney that winds back and forth through the oven so that most of the heat from the fire and smoke is absorbed by the brick and tile.

Then a few days ago, I ran into another article on Low Tech Magazine about the same thing. Apparently developed in Europe due to shortages of firewood, they are very efficient, more so than the metal stoves known here in the US. Metal heat up quickly, but cools just as fast, requiring continuous tending. The tile stove is only lit once or twice a day, burns very fast, hot and more completely, with less fuel, and slowly heats with a more moderate warmth all day or night.

Is there anyone out there using one of these 18th century marvels?

Progress report

2009-02-26T19:20:00.004-05:00

After a particularly busy week last week, I finally got a chance to get back in the studio last night.

I threw 2 2lb vase forms with the new Standard #240 white stoneware. I'm thinking it's at least as good as the old 563, if not better. I didn't have much trouble controling it or getting decent height from it, and that's significant given how out of practice and challenged I am right now.

Overall, a very satisfying evening.

Another day, another clay

2009-02-13T22:07:00.004-05:00

I'd recently gotten a comment on my clay review post on Standard #563 from Curtis that it had been discontinued. Standard has replaced it with #240, another smooth white ^6 stoneware.

So when I went to buy new clay last night, and discovering they were out of my favorite Little Loafers, I got a bag of #240 to try.

It wasn't bad at all. I'm still out of practice, but it seemed a bit easier and well behaved than the old 563. I've mainly been trying to have fun and experiment, but I'll have to find out how well the new clay burnishes and polishes after a saggar fire.

6 months of blogging

2009-02-12T04:23:00.001-05:00

Just recently realized that I've been doing this blog for 6 months now. Back when I started, I didn't know what direction it would take (still don't really), or if I'd even stick with it or have anything to say. Apart from rather sparse posting recently, I'm pretty happy with it.

Here's a quick summary of a few fun stats so far:

1460 visits

36 Countries + US (All states except AK, HI, and RI)

Northernmost visitor - Rekjavik, Iceland

Southernmost visitor- Hobart, Tazmania

Top 7 countries in decending order:

CAN

Italy

Brazil

Turkey

Australia

Languages:

English

Portugese

Italian

French

Turkish

Swedish

I'm going to head back to the studio today after work to celebrate!

New beginings for 2009

2009-02-05T21:16:00.003-05:00

I finally got back in to the studio today. It felt good to get my hands dirty again.

My clay was pretty stiff after being there for the past 3 months, but I still had fun. I wedged up 3 pounds, cut it into 3 - 1lb balls and just played, making nothing in particular. Just ventering and pulling up, splitting rims, bellying out until it went wonky, then cutting it in half, and doing another.

I think the scraps are destined to be my next terra sig experiment, and I'll buy a fresh bag of clay next time

** Update **

I feel like I got kicked down a flight of stairs this morning.... but it still feels good to get dirty again!

Less is more

2009-01-28T06:00:00.001-05:00

I've definitely noticed a theme of simplifying and minimizing in my life the last few months. Partly brought on by the lingering injuries and physical challenges of the auto accident, partly by a deeper urge to de-clutter the mental and psychological blockages that build up over time.

I've been away from clay for too long, and I'm coming to the realization that I need to start somewhere. It's become clear that I won't be throwing like I did 6 months ago any time soon, but I need to get back to doing something. Less clay, smaller forms, less time at the wheel in one stretch. Less expectations, smaller goals, less pressure on myself. Physical therapy is making small, slow, sometimes imperceptible progress, and I need to be content with the same rate of progress in the studio.

Along these same lines, Leo Babauta has written a companion to his book 'The Power of Less' — a free ebook called “THRIVING ON LESS: Simplifying in a Tough Economy“.

Creativity 101

2009-01-26T16:48:00.000-05:00

I read this today over at Zen Habits, another of my favorite blogs;

http://zenhabits.net/2009/01/the-secret-to-being-insanely-creative/

Great ideas for nurturing you inner artist and realizing that we're all creating things all the time, every day.

Study Pottery in China

2009-01-21T19:50:00.007-05:00

West Virginia University has just announced their 2009 schedule for study abroad in Jingdezhen, China.

Sounds like a great opportunity. Last year I really enjoyed following Brad Lail's experience there at http://blail.blogspot.com/

More info on the program can be found at WVU's website at

http://art.ccarts.wvu.edu/international_programs/china_program

Pottery books for Christmas

2008-12-31T10:04:00.002-05:00

Ive been enjoying reading one of my excellent Christmas presents:

Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose

I've checked out Robin Hopper's videos on form and proportion from the library before, and was happy to see much of the same material expanded upon in this book.

This book covers all kinds of kitchenware, plates, mugs, bowls, goblets, butter dishes, pitchers, teapots. He also covers proportions and esthetics of form, along with praticalities like center of gravity, weight, and making things 'fit' the human body for use.

He also has a broad definition of 'funtional' pottery that isn't just dinner service, but includes decorative ware that serves as objects of beauty and contemplation.

New blogs and old friends

2008-12-23T08:54:00.000-05:00

Google Reader had a suggestion of a blog I might be interested in

http://claycraft.blogspot.com

So I was browsing through and found this post about my long-lost first pottery instructor who moved to the other side of the country:

http://claycraft.blogspot.com/2008/11/jamie-kirkpatrick-display.html

You never really know what or who is going to pop up out of the past on the internet these days. And if you haven't given Google Reader a try yet, check it out. I really don't know how I'd keep all the blogs I follow manageable without it.

Pottery section now on Alltop

2008-12-19T05:36:00.004-05:00

For those of you that don't know about it, Alltop.com is a nifty blog aggregator that groups blogs by topic or area of interest. They generally strive to have the most popular blogs as determined by their own ranking criteria.

Within each topic, they list their top blogs, along with the last five post titles in an easy to scan 'magazine' format. Very easy to lose several hours exploring....

The Great news is -- They now have a Pottery Topic.

Congrats to Jen Mecca, Emily Murphy, and Bulldog Pottery for making the first cut! You need to go and get yourselves a badge for your blogs here: http://badges.alltop.com/

Go check them out... the more traffic they get from all us potters the better. It might get them to expand the number of pottery feeds in our section!

What color green are you?

2008-12-18T07:10:00.004-05:00

All of this glaze testing going on out in the pottery blogosphere got me thinking about color --

You Are Teal Green

You are a one of a kind, original person. There's no one even close to being like you.

Expressive and creative, you have a knack for making the impossible possible.

While you are a bit offbeat, you don't scare people away with your quirks.

Your warm personality nicely counteracts and strange habits you may have.

What Color Green Are You?

Words of wisdom for artists and other creatives

2008-12-01T20:11:00.000-05:00

Here's a little gem I found going through the old posts from the Red Deer College'sArt Blog

The Incomplete Manifesto for Growth:

http://www.brucemaudesign.com/incomplete_manifesto.html

Some of my favorites include

4) Love your experiments.

6) Capture accidents.

34) Make mistakes faster

and

26) Don't enter awards competitions - 'Just dont. It's not good for you'

Check it out for a goldmine of wisdom and sanity.

Red Deer College

2008-11-19T21:33:00.002-05:00

I had a pleasant surprize this evening. While doing a semi-regular check on my blog stats, I discovered some traffic coming from a blog I was previously unaware of.

http://robinlambert.wordpress.com/

Turns out it was from a ceramics blog at Red Deer College in Albert Canada.

I've just started exploring but it's chock full of interesting assignments and projects, as well as links to other online resources for ceramists and artists.

Even though I've been an IT guy for almost 20 years, sometimes this whole internet thing just amazes me.

Dorodango!

2008-11-17T17:33:00.000-05:00

I'd come across this a couple years ago and it just resurfaced again last week on one of my favorite shows, MythBusters.

A common childhood pastime in Japan is making hikaru dorodango, or 'shiny mud balls' by taking a ball of mud and squeezing, packing and smoothing it, gradually drying it out, and slowly adding dry dirt to it, and finally rubbing it to a glossy shine.

The results are nothing short of amazing.

Looking at the process, it seems like what they're ending up with is a packed, smooth ball finished with an outer layer of finely burnished clay particles, probably not far from terra sig.

Image from: http://www.kyokyo-u.ac.jp/youkyou/4/english4.htm , which also has instructions for making one of these little gems.

There is additional information and instructions here:

http://www.dorodango.com/about.html

and at Wikipedia here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorodango

Thinking Creatively

2008-11-11T05:58:00.002-05:00

Yesterday I read an interesting article on how to think like Leonardo da Vinci. It really resonated with me and got me thinking about how I could apply it to my pottery.

(I wonder if da Vinci was a potter.... he certainly tried about everything else..... )

I especially liked the points about choosing a theme and observing things in terms of that theme for a day. Also examining your beliefs, seeing if there are any that you haven't actually verified through experience. Then looking for two or three other possible points of view.

I've found in pottery that what works for one person often doesn't for another, so taking someone's word for it on what is possible or not isn't always accurate. I know a lot of people who throw without a sponge. This just doesn't work for me for whatever reason. Some people throw wet, some throw dry, I kinda fall in between, tending toward dry.

So just don't forget to keep experimenting! That's what makes it fun anyways, and that's why we do this, right?

The full article is here:

http://www.wikihow.com/Think-Like-Leonardo-Da-Vinci

Seasons and Cycles

2008-11-05T06:23:00.000-05:00

I just read a fantastic piece about business cycles and how to look at slowdowns over at Molly Gordon's blog here: Seasons of Success

I lke her point about if you spend your energy resisting the slow times in 'autumn' you'll be too spent to enjoy the 'spring' when it returns.

Back to work!

2008-11-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a while.

It was 7 weeks last Friday since the accident put me out of the studio. Countless doctor visits, pills, hot soaks, and ice packs later I'm slowly approaching functional.

I finally made it back to the studio yesterday to see what I could do. I'd signed up for a class that starts this week, and wanted to find out if I could do it, or have to cancel. I'm happy to report that I was able to handle the 25# block of clay, wedge, center and throw a couple 2# 'test pots', a bottle and a vase form. Today I'm a bit sore, but no worse than general pottery soreness from not throwing for two months on top of the lingering soreness, if that makes any sense. I'm hoping the extra activity at this point helps work the knots and cramps out.

It's also been 3 months for the Brian Fields Pottery blog.

I've had nearly 400 unique visitors from 20 countries and 42 states. I have to say, I'm happliy surprized.

Arts in Education

2008-10-12T08:05:00.001-04:00

As a followup to my post a while back 'But what's it good for?' the Colorado Council on the Arts has recently put out a study on the importance of the arts in education. The arts being under attack in public schools is hardly a new thing, but I had no idea it was so bad in Colorado, having been cut from $1.2 million in 2002 to $200,000 in 2004.

And ironically, at the same time this is going on, employers are asking for more creative, innovative workers...
http://www.coloarts.org/programs/education/study/index.htm

There's also a great resource at Keep Arts in Schools.
http://www.keepartsinschools.org/

As we go through these tough economic times, we need to remember the importance of the arts to our children who will take us into the future.

Great resource for artists

2008-10-11T20:53:00.003-04:00

I discovered this site today during an aimless surfing session. It's for an organization called Self Employment in the Arts

Lots of good info and resources for artists trying to make their way in the business world. They also have conferences several times a year around the country.