I blinked and summer was gone. I’m voting for a very wonderful fall that tiptoes all the way into next May.
As a beginner potter in 1971, I just couldn’t make enough planters. There were plant shops showing up everywhere and it was my job to make sure they had enough planters to sell. Such is the business of being a potter. As time moves on, demands steadily shift. One of the hardest things to contend with in my early career, was the ever changing fads and trends. When I started out, their were those that insisted we incorporate Japanese or Eastern aesthetics due to their thousands of years of exquisite ceramics. People were climbing on the band wagon and even imitating the intricacies of the Japanese tea ceremony. On the other hand there was another camp that espoused the British clay traditions. It was at this time I made a pact with myself to never follow trends or traditions, and the addendum to that is,—- there is only one rule in the arts; and that is, that there are no rules. This has served me well.
In the early 1970’s there were a few craft shops to sell to. And then more opened and it became the standard way to sell your work. At one time Connie and I were selling to14 different shops in Alberta and Eastern BC. Just work hard and deliver your work to the shops. As time passed and things changed, shops opened and shops closed. And over all this time, It’s always been a fight to get the general public to understand that the arts and fine crafts can be an amazing profession and not just a hobby, and the media has had a substantial amount of influence on the perception of the arts and crafts There was an add on TV with a Grandma and grand daughter, after supper, going to the pottery studio to make some pottery as easy as if they were going to the kitchen to make a sandwich. When I started my pottery career, I also taught classes at the Allied Arts Centre in Calgary, and I had students who thought they could come to the class and I would teach them how to make some tea sets and dinnerware to give to their friends for Christmas. That would be equivalent to going to your first piano lesson and asking to be taught Beethoven’s 9th symphony.
Today, because of a show from England, (crazy show where potters are given a task to complete in a certain amount of time), there is a kind of renaissance going on in ceramics. Last year there was a 2 year waiting list to find a place to take a pottery course. This year there are about 6 or 7 new pottery teaching facilities. It’s my guess that in a couple of years there will be more craft shops opening up as a result of the people taking courses and finding out that making pottery isn’t quite as easy as they thought. Some will have a new perspective and appreciation for one of the oldest crafts in the world and will want to purchase some interesting and new nice things not made by machines or, in the new world, Robots.
For our sale, we’ll have cookies and tea and coffee for you and of course tours of the studio to explain and see how it’s all done. After 55 years and over 300,000 pounds (160,000 kilos) of pottery, I’m sure I can tell you few things that I know will entertain and enlighten you. We look forward to seeing you as always. You’re the ones who make it possible for us to do what we love to do. Bob and Connie
Connie has been making so many different mugs using different techniques- stencils made on her Silhouette cutter, Lino carvings, silk screens, commercial tissue prints, and 3D printed rollers.
Bring some friends if you can. And there’s the draw for a $100 gift certificate.The parking is free and the experience will be just lots of fun. We can talk and debate the arts if you’re interested. Thank you Bob & Connie
