One of the items that I’m making now is a Pour Over for making coffee. It is a 3 piece set – a funnel, mug and wooden holder.
I’ve created a video to explain how to use this pour over system.
I just returned from dinner at a local Chinese food restaurant where my husband and I shared a main and entre to the tune of $35.00. Not an unusual price for this sort of meal.
This is a meal that is consumed in about 30 minutes and will be GONE by tomorrow.
I’ve priced my mugs at $35.00 and actually wondered if that was too high.
My mugs are handmade – thrown individually – glazed with my specially developed glaze, fired twice, then decorated further with decals and gold lustre and fired a third time. There is no way that the price can be completely calculated, but it would be high – not even counting the time that I don’t even charge for…
This mug can be used multiple times, give great enjoyment and is aesthetically pleasing.
So why don’t people see that value?
We all constantly pay for meals in the $50-70.00 range and don’t think any thing about it.
But paying $50-70.00 for a plate is considered expensive…why??
I’m sure you each have had these same thoughts…I just needed to vent today.
Peace out.
Marian
Here’s Malcolm Greenwood demonstrating the process of spiral wedging your clay. He’s the master!
My online store can be found at marianwilliamspottery.bigcartel.com or by going to my website marianwilliamspottery.com and hitting the “Shop” tab. Happy shopping!
Sounds simple, right? Well, it has taken waaaaaay more time than I expected! But I’m almost there.
First, I had to chose an ecommerce site builder. Thank goodness my daughter, Liz, is an absolute guru at online marketing (does it for a living) and she guided me to BigCartel.com – mainly for its features, ease and simplicity.
It is expressly set up to accommodate the needs of artists.
The other must have is good photos. Liz is also a great photographer and helped me make the most of my camera and lighting set up. Taking four to five good shots of each piece/product is essential for your store.
After adding the photos, writing an About page and an FAQ page, I was almost done.
The next step was to figure out the shipping costs. I went to my local Australian Post office and they were super helpful and gave me all the info that I needed. However, this is still a tricky issue. Packing costs, insurance, and postage all add up to a crazy high sum. But that’s the cost of shopping online and customers know that.
My other dilemma is pricing – it’s tricky – so I’m doing my best to get a fair price for my work, but also sell it!
It’s now ready and I’m pleased to present to you my online store at:
marianwilliamspottery.bigcartel.com
Please tell me what you think. I would love your honest feedback.
Good selling to all,
Marian
I’m setting up an online shop!
The last market I attended was a disaster (for me).
I set up a great booth, kept my prices high (or where I want them to be), and sold about $200.00 worth of product – not good enough for the amount of effort. But the traffic was not great and there were so many potters that I was one of many and most of the other potters had put out their “seconds” to clear out their studios at really reasonable prices.
I think it’s a mistake to sell at low prices- just to clear out goods- it gives the buying public the message that pottery is “cheap”. ‘Nuff said- I could go on, but I won’t… I’m just not going to play that game anymore.
So…I’ve decided to forgo further markets and do an online shop.
I know that this is going to be risky and I’ll have to build a clientele, but I think I’m ready to give it a try.
I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
Happy selling!
Marian
After taking the workshop in San Miguel de Allende, (see post here) I really was anxious to see if I could sculpt. I jumped right in and after a few stumbles created my first figurative sculpture. I’m sure that she is not amazing to most, but to me, she is significant…
I’ve named her, Pohaha, who was an American Indian Warrior Princess. She is raku-d and placed on burned timber which suits her look – she’s like an artefact that was discovered in the burned rumble and pulled out of the earth. As with any artefact, along comes the history of the culture surrounding the artefact – and so is true with Pohaha. Research into the role of women in American Indian life revealed that American Indians treated women as equals – they participated in combat, war councils and running of the tribes. Our history excludes or minimises the role of women in the American Indian culture as the history was written by Europeans. Europeans felt that the equal treatment of women was odd/unacceptable, and thus, wrote history as they wanted it to read – no women as warriors, war chiefs, or shaman.
Here are some process photos:
Sculpture Head In Process
Sculpture Head In Process
Sculpture Torso/Chest Before Adding Head
Head Attached To Torso
Close Up View of Sculpture After Applying Terra Sigelatta And Burnishing.
Applying War Paint Wax Resist Before Applying Clear Raku Glaze.
Pohaha, After Firing In Raku.
The warpaint in the image of a hand on her face indicates her prowess in hand-to-hand combat. Her feathers are symbolic as American Indians believed that all life and beings have souls – the feathers would be a part of that creatures soul.
Pohaha was also a shaman and I’ve created spirit pots to hold her herbs and healing potions.
All pieces have been raku fired and are one-of-a-kind creations.
Loving the sculpture. Can’t wait to do my next piece.
Luv,
Marian
When I attended the Greg Daly workshop hosted by the Coastal Claymakers in Coffs Harbour at the TAFE, I was gobsmacked by the wonderful throwing area and the tables they had constructed. Such a wonderful work area!
The tables surrounding the wheels provided a really convenient workspace that fit right around the wheel.
So…remember that guy that is so handy to have around at my studio? Yep, that’s him! My wonderful husband, Ronnie!! Well, he came to the party again and created a wonderful work table for my wheel!
He used a jigsaw to cut plywood into a shape that wrapped around the wheel.
The base was made from 2x4s.
He sanded the edges and top with an electric belt sander.
The table fit perfectly around the wheel allowing for leg room
and providing lots of area for tools and pots.
The blue paint gave a sturdy, bright finish to the table.
I love it!
Don’t you just love this!! There is something truly irresistible about raku. It draws you in and seduces you with its fluidity, colour, earthiness, and tactileness. The magic of raku is so evident in this piece. I love the beautiful lines and fantastic colour!
Shibori! It’s everywhere you look these days! All the shops are offering tops, towels, dresses, table linens, pillows, and more in Shibori.
I was only recently made aware of Shibori when doing a baby shower and the theme was Boho Gypsy (yep, it’s a thing!) and we made Shibori Bunting. It was great fun and looked so good when decorating the home of the expectant mum!
So I’ve been on a cobalt binge as a result and making plates/ceramics to match.
One of the critical tools when spraying glazes onto your pots is a really good turntable – one that spins easily and keeps spinning! These can be expensive and hard to find.
My wonderful husband, Ronnie, is the best potter’s friend! We looked at the video (linked below) on making a turntable from a bicycle wheel and he put one together for me!
How To Make A Banding Wheel Be sure to watch this!!!
However, he bought the bicycle hub for about $10.00 as we didn’t have a used bike sitting around!
It is awesome and spins like a top! The “table” part is also large enough to accommodate larger platters easily. I highly recommend making one of these!
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