learnins from the front

OK so how about a report for Lazy daze, one word, CRAPPY! way to much buy/sell there. lets just call it a lesson learned, OH, whats the lesson you say?! well when you walk the show early in the A.M. and notice 25% of they booths are low priced buy sell items, most of the "craft" is poorly made, you see lots of $10 stickers (bright yellow too) you might as well go get your change from your booth and head to the beer garden! not kidding, anyway that's why if you make good work and price it realistically (i define this as work that is above the average and sells for a dollar amount that allows you to take your time and "create" good work, not crank out schloopity schloop!) you can not go to these shows where the organizers allow vendors who break the rules CLEARLY STATED in the contract sent to them to stay set up. This brings the quality of the show way down and makes it near impossible to sell good honestly priced work. what is worse is the general public is getting an education when they attend these festivals and when they are bombarded with kitschy junk, pre-made SHIT, and way low prices they just received their mickey mouse PhD in craft education. well i for one have had it with alot of these show promoters/ organizers. i have a few shows where you are cared for and not seen as a dollar sign. but in all honesty what are the next generation of craft artists to do? this use to be the staging grounds for a budding artist. Two of my close friends set up at the show, they are admittedly scratching to get by and they invest a few hundred dollars and lots of time in a show that just leaves them dead in the ally, like a rat! well, i gotta go pull handles before i pull my hair out! Today was actually a good day, Evan did a speech test and passed with flying colors, then went to the dentist for his first check up, he was brave as hell! so today i was the windshield! OK off to work, peace out, don't eat the trout! Shane a.k.a BOBO (PS that's for you rump shaker, i know your watching me now)

off to a show again

So its that time again, off to a show! cary nc for lazy daze, hope its a goodin. wow, so its like fall is chasing me down. Lisa is back in school full time again, and evan starts montessori up next week. last year i worried that the school days would interrupt my studio time to an unhealthy extent. now this year i am looking forward to school starting, it adds a certain amount of structure to the day that really pushes me to organize my time more wisely, plus it pushes studio time into the late evening hours, nothing like finishing a pot at 1 0r 1 a.m.! the silence and solitude is great. I am currently in a rush to make a small batch of pots for a firing in mark peters kiln I use to fire his kiln with him on a regular basis until the anagama was finished. That's the hard thing about a large anagama kiln. i can not just organize a firing when i need it! my crew all have jobs or are potters filling and firing their own kilns, so i have to schedule firings far in advance. i do need a smaller kiln (do i hear train whistles?) But i do need to fill in some holes in my inventory for my upcoming shows and still generate a full load for my November anagama firing. A quick word about Mr. Peters, he was there in a capacity like no other (except my wife!) when we got started over here. He always had space in his kiln for me and at one point was even letting me fire the wood kiln when he was out of town, now that is generosity! a good man indeed, thanks mark! ok sponge bob mac and cheese is done, gotta run evans hungry! (dont judge or hate the sponge bob!) later shane

arrowmont trip

Well, i went off on a trip to Atlanta to pick up a pot that was juried into the acc south east regoinal show, then up to arrowmont for the night. The school had invited several people to load and fire the anagama a few of my friends were involved so it became a must for me to drop in. I arrived at dinner time and the kiln was near the end of its firing. good firing styles were being used. meet some nice folks from norway and the us. good times. came home to see my new camera had arrived, a canon G7! off to play. now we are heading up north to west virginia for my family visit. happy potting/