PottersPOV

2011-10-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

I have been working hard since the last post on the HARP. If you don't know what that is yet you need to check out the Arts 2 People website at www.arts2people.org/harp.html. The great news is that it is ON for the holiday market. I'm thinking about calling it the Holiday Artisan Market or HAM. What do you think?
We have a sweet spot for it now and I will be sending out information for signup as soon as I have it. If your an artist on my list then you will for sure get a call from someone on the volunteer staff as well as information in your inbox.

The one thing I haven't been able to get done lately is pottery. I have to get into the studio and make some work for the Big Crafty on December 4th in Pack Place. Its the one place other then galleries that I still sell my work myself to the public. Come by and talk about art, festivals, the HARP or even pottery.

2011-09-24T21:50:00.000-07:00

Wow. My last post was right after the storm. Most of my life since then has been a storm of its own or spent recovering from that one. There is still a pile of broken metal in my yard that needs to go. It wasn't easy to make it before as an artists but when Asheville Art in the Park started pulling in some real good numbers, I became hopeful of what was possible. I have been working at finding some real opportunities for artists that could pull our momentum past just the Pack Square market and help Asheville Artists really make more money throughout the year. When the storm hit us, it must have stirred up something inside me. Ideas have been racing out of me like a stock market ticker tape. I honestly didn't know what to do with it all? I have been throwing ideas out of my head only to have them slam back in with force due to some coincidence reiterating their importance. Then I realized the importance of letting it all go. I was trying to hold on to it, to own it, when all I needed to do was give it away.

So, I went to Kitty Love, the executive director of Arts2People and asked for her help sorting out how to implement this new desire I had to let it all go. She listened and helped me whittled down some bold sweeping ideas into some specific actions and programming that can make a real difference to struggling artists in the community. On Monday, I will start to implement it. We need your help. For the time I am working on this new program, I will be offering free, walk in and by apt. arts business consultation. I am currently holding office hours of 10-4. M,W,T,F. I'm in and out on Tuesdays and am often out on missions so be sure to call if you want to be sure to get me. Bla Bla bla bla. This is my personal ceramics blog so I should proly lay off all that "work stuff" but I am just so excited about it that I needed to get it out on my blog.

Speaking of pottery, I just had another load of tree mugs come out of the kiln and I have my new Potters Four Square game prototypes in action. There is a copy at the ARC if you want to come by and help me play test it. I am hoping to find some other potters that want to help be produce it for market. You know, I have a few other things going on right now. So if you, the 3 or 4 people that sometimes read my blog, know of any good potters in the Asheville area. lol. let me know.

I hope to get on the river tomorrow with Jody and Sawyer. We try and float down the old girl at least once a season. . . our window is closing fast. Don't forget to come to Asheville Art in the Park at least one of the next 3 Saturdays in Pack Square.

Storm Slams Asheville Art in the Park

2011-06-19T09:18:00.000-07:00

It was the worst case situation. A strong line of thunderstorms came in quickly and hard and hit the event with 60+ MPH winds. I was in the back of the B line when I noticed the back of the line of tents was about to fly away with vendors struggling to hold on to their tents to keep them on the ground. I held on to the upwind side of of the B line but the wind pushed so strong I was pushed backwards several feet before regaining my footing. I finally managed to pull the pins out on my side and get the tent to drop down letting the forceful wind to pass overhead instead of slamming into the tent.

When the winds finally calmed down, the square was total chaos. Tops were torn from tents, whole tents with weights were lifted up and smashed to the ground, one with a vendor still holding on and product was blown away or smashed to bits. A few of our potters lost everything that had at the show. Thankfully no one was majorly injured.

The amazing part is what came next. Artists started helping each other pick up the pieces. Seeing the devastation I changed the donation requirement at the show and started collecting for the artists that had seen the most damage. In the devastation I transferred several hundred dollars donated from the artists least affected to the most affected. Many artists gave more then the suggested 10% of sales.

As I helped clean up the huge mess created by the gusting wind, I saw artists that had just lost everything picking up trash in the street and helping other artists. The integrity and passion these artists have continuously blows me away and I am honored to be part of this community.

I hope you will come out to Asheville Art in the Park in Pack Square for our final June event on Saturday the 25th from 10 - 5 and support these great local artists as they recover from this disaster.

WLOS TV Coverage - > WLOS ABC 13 News :: Top Stories - Saturday Storm Damage

Mountain Xpress video coverage ->

http://www.mountainx.com/news/2011/sudden_storm_hits_asheville_destroys_art_in_the_park_tent_booths_video

If you have stories from the event, please share them on our group page here-> http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_146077699181&ap=1

xpress comment

2011-02-28T06:24:00.000-08:00

Check out the original article here ---> http://www.mountainx.com/ae/2011/022311self-portrait-with-food-stamps

Thanks for starting this dialog Ursula. As a local artist, I have been dealing with the realities of life as an artist in Asheville for decades. The most important thing an artists can do for themselves is get educated in the business of art. There are many programs available to local artists via the many professional art organizations in our area. Learn the specifics of your particular art field. Ask other respected vendors in your area what it takes to get to their level. In general you will find most artists are happy to share the tips and strategies of success but make no mistake, they will all tell you it’s a lot of hard work.

A few years ago I got tired of looking for good local opportunities to self represent my work as I was continually disappointed with the events I would attend. I decided to create a local market of ONLY professional art vendors. Asheville Art in the Park started in 2009 with its first 3 consecutive Saturday market. In the markets first 9 days of operation artists have earned more then $100,000 from market sales directly at the event. They have also donated more then $10,000 to local non-profits that help us directly in our cause of making it here as artists.

Let me give you some more direct data to add some clarity to this important issue of the economic survival of Asheville’s artists. The lowest earnings of a booth at the Saturday market was $0. The highest was almost $3000 and the average booth generated $580 in sales. This is data from a cross section of about 175 local and regional artists. In general artists should look for events that payback at least 10 times the booth fee. This information dose not include wholesale orders, special orders or sales after then event hours.

Please check out http://www.AshevilleArtinthePark.com for more information about this continuing local opportunity.

Blizzard Outside. Sunny Market days inside.

2011-01-10T15:20:00.001-08:00

So there is almost a foot of snow on the ground and its still coming down. Inside where its warm, I’m planning some more sunny market days for 2011 thanks to all the artists that sent in letters to city council and the downtown commission. As Asheville Art in the Park is set to continue in 2011, I am also working to bring some even lower cost opportunities to Asheville artists. If you were lucky enough to come out to one of the 3 perfect Saturdays in Pack Square last October, you will know that this group of talented professionals puts on an amazing display of some of the finest craftsmanship available.

Look for the re-launch of www.AshevilleArtinthePark.com in early February with new pictures, video of the Market, and details about signing up for the 2011 event. You may even find out some details about an amazing new opportunity in a special new location.

Asheville Art in the Park

2010-09-13T17:08:00.001-07:00

Today was a good day for the market and for my goals of supporting American craft. Today Asheville Art in the Park joined both the national American Craft Week celebration, to be held October 1-10 and the Asheville Street Markets group. Both organizations are committed to promoting American Craft. The former is a national movement to celebrate American artists and the later designed to expose all the great opportunities to find great craftsmanship on a more local level. I hope you will come visit us in Pack Square this October and celebrate the vast array of talent our area has to offer.

www.Ashevilleartinthepark.com

http://americancraftweek.com/

http://ashevillestreetmarkets.blogspot.com/

Asheville Art in the Park Saturday # 2

2010-06-19T17:51:00.001-07:00

Wow! I am blown away by all the awesome artists that vend at Asheville Art in the Park. It had the feel of a show that has been around for years even thou this is only our second event series. If you are in Western North Carolina next weekend or on any of the first 3 Saturdays in October, you really owe it to yourself to check out the wide array of colors, textures and personalities that these professionals are offering up at Pack Square on 3 consecutive Saturdays. Three Saturdays in June and three Saturdays in October come on out for a healthy dose of artistic spectacle as we transform Pack Square into Asheville's premier outdoor arts market. See you Saturday.

Asheville Art in the Park June 12th Pictures

2010-06-16T08:34:00.001-07:00

http://www.ashevilleartinthepark.com

2010-06-10T10:07:00.001-07:00

Asheville Art in the Park 2010

2010-06-10T06:47:00.001-07:00

Well its 3 days till the second set of Asheville Art in the Park events and I just got sick. I hope that it will not last till Saturday. Everything is ready for the event and there is a small article in the Mountain Xpress this week along with our ad. Treasure Keepers, a new antiques gallery and soon to be bar on church street, has been helping out with everything from publicity to making calls. The market is almost full with some of the best artists I have ever met. Some of the nicest too and almost all of them are living in the Western North Carolina area. I am so lucky that the natural beauty of these mountains has drawn together a rich community of amazingly talented people. See you at Pack Square.Asheville Art in the Park

Asheville Art in the Park 2010

2010-04-26T08:33:00.001-07:00

Asheville Art in the Park Returns to Pack Square June 12th, 19th and 26th

Asheville Art in the Park will be providing access to some of the finest artists in the region this June as the event continues with its summer series. The event takes place on three consecutive Saturdays in June and October. Muddy Knees Design and Production is proud to once again offer local artists the opportunity to connect with the public in Asheville‘s Pack Square Park. There will be nationally known artists vending at this event and the best part is they are local to our area. The mission statement for Asheville Art in the Park is simply “A local art market giving back to the community by donating 10% of all sales to local non profit organizations. “ This is an event created by local artists to give Asheville’s great talent a place to showcase their work.

Asheville Art in the Park will no longer close South Pack Square for the event. The original concept for the market never included closing South Pack Square. Now, after some community input, the city requires South Pack Square remain open Monday-Saturday. Asheville Art in the Park will be held on the North side of Pack Square and include the raised lawn area know as the Grassy Knoll. The new park is receiving the finishing operational touches and Asheville Art in the Park will continue to work with the city of Asheville to bring the best professional artist events possible to it’s center. For a listing of vendors and more images of artists work please visit www.AshevilleArtinthePark.com

Asheville Art in the Park Summer 2010

2010-02-12T13:18:00.000-08:00

OK. Here we go again. I just posted the call for artists onto the Handmade in America website and to other internet locations. There are a limited number of spaces as returning vendors get first dibs on the slots and have taken quite a few already. There are about 90 slots open for the 3 Saturdays still as of today. I will be assigning the remaining slots on a first come first serve basis once the Jury Standards are met. The number one thing that Asheville Art in the Park jury for is professional presentation. I look forward to all the great art this area has to offer.

All snowed in

2010-02-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

Everything was great at the Market Square wholesale trade show last weekend except for the snow. Its just one storm after another this year and its keeping buyers at home. The convention center got 15 inches the night before the show started. All the vendors got in with ease and I have to say it was the easiest move in and move out I have ever had. I set up 2 corner booths by the woman's bathroom, one for demo and one for sales. Got some great pictures and a couple of wholesale orders but it seemed the buyers just were not going to make it to the event. My images made the cover of the guide and there was additional pictures of my pottery inside the guide. I have only good things to say about the helpful staff running the market and would recommend it for artist who's work has a primitive feel. I hope the folks at the Buyers Market of American Craft are having a better time in their snow storm.

The Big Crafty

2009-12-03T07:50:00.000-08:00

I love this event. It is a great indoor holiday show in the middle of Asheville at just the right time in December. The weather forecasts for colder weather moving in this weekend and my hope is people will be in the seasonal buying mood for some ornaments. I have some new hair clips I am prototyping right now and I will have some at the event at a low low Big Crafty only price. I'll bring a few mugs and vases but I will be focusing on the 5 dozen ornaments I have in the kiln right now in bisque.

This very indie and very Asheville event boasts all types of art and craft from many talented artist. We are all crammed into the Pack Place lobby upstairs and down. There is wall to wall art everywhere you look. Come in for a beer from one of your favorite local brews and stay for the craftastic holiday display.

Post Park

2009-11-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

So it turns out the holiday season is right after Art in the Park. I got swept up in it all and now The Big Crafty is right around the corner. If your in the Asheville area please come and see me at the Pack Place on Sunday December 6th from 12-6pm.

Art in the Park ended on a low note with the weather turning quite cold and rainy, almost sleeting. Overall the event was a huge success with artists making over $25,000 and donating more then $2500 to our 3 chosen arts based nonprofits; Asheville Area Arts Council, Mountain Biz Works and Handmade in America. Thanks to everyone that attended and participated in this years events. Please look for Asheville Art in the Park 2010 dates coming soon.

More Asheville Art in the Park Pictures

2009-10-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pictures of the event.

Art in the Park 1 down 2 left!

2009-10-04T08:11:00.000-07:00

There was a huge sense of relief as I was picking up trash in Pack Square after the very first Asheville Art in the Park event was over on Saturday. The square was very clean as most of the artist policed their own areas and I was left with only a small handful of trash from the street. It was an amazing first event and went off smoothly. There was steady traffic throughout the beautiful sunny Saturday and everyone I spoke with, patrons, artists, and local business owners all thanked me for bringing this event to downtown Asheville. The center of our city has been under construction for so long now that many have forgotten what it was like when this area was the focus. The Pack Square is a special gem in our city and its history pulsates through the newly paved asphalt.

I would like to thank all the artists that made our first event possible. For artists, vending the first time a new show starts is a risky proposition. Many established artists just don't do it at all. Honestly, the artists at Asheville Art in the Park on October 3rd. have not only shown a professional level of dedication to their craft, but also a profound commitment to the Asheville art community.

Beautiful wood turning, hand hammered iron, masterfully melted glass work, hand thrown pottery, incredible jewelry, and amazing 2dimensional art, was all displayed by some of the best artists in the country. It happened here in our little southern city because Asheville is a magnet for creative culture. A lot of the artists exhibiting at Asheville Art in the Park are nationally known. All of the artist are with in 200 miles of Asheville. Most of them live in Buncombe and the surrounding counties or within the Asheville city limits. It makes me so happy to be able to produce a show of this caliber and still be able to truthfully call it local.

The greatest part is that its not over yet! 2 more Saturdays and a lot more great artists. I will be maxing out the Square on Saturday the 10th as artists scramble to fill the few remaining spaces I have. I still have about 10 tentless table spaces available for artists that don't have or want a full booth. I also have a handful of 10X10 spaces available on the 17th.

Thank you Asheville for being the artsy city in the mountains I love.

Here are some shots of artist's booths. I'll post some more later.

Asheville Art in the Park

2009-08-26T08:50:00.000-07:00

Http://www.AshevilleArtinthePark.com

Asheville Art in the Park

2009-08-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

All my time is now spent on this ever growing project. I hope everyone will come out to this new event.

The Big Crafty

2009-07-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some pix of The Big Crafty, July 12th 2009. It was a sunny day and there was tons of traffic. Here are some pix of my booth and the crowd. Thanks to everyone that came by and said hi.

A Booth on Lake Lure

2009-07-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

What a nice festival it was at the Rumbling Bald Resort. I couldn't get that dirty dancing resort feeling out of my head the whole time. Especially when they made announcements over the loud speakers, my mind would wander as I gazed out over the water from my booth. Sales where very slow but the booth fee was $0 and I very much enjoyed my time there in the sun. I hope to go back next year for the 4th and make it a tradition. A big thank you shout out to the folks that did purchase something at the event.

I put this pot on the pier when I was setting up. When I decided to leave it there for the festival and see what would happen, I started getting tons of comments of all types. Not everyone was afraid it would fall or be knocked into the water. I was. It made for great fun all day as some would pretend to push it over or try and grab it. Some just stopped and stared at it. One guy thought the marina had got some nice new post caps till he looked around at the other empty piers. Thanks for all your comments on it and my pottery and yes it made it through the whole festival 10-5 without being knocked into the lake. Only once I was sure it was about to take a dive. A man was looking at something up on the mountain above the tents and he was slowly backing up and nearing the pot. His female companion noticed he was about to crash into it and grabbed him at the last minute.

Spring and Summer Events

2009-05-27T05:35:00.000-07:00

I will be at some events in the Asheville area this summer. There is so much going on in this town its hard to keep up. Starting in July I will by at Lake Lure's Rumbling Bald Resort on the 4th of July and then at the Pack Place in downtown Asheville on the 12th 12-6. I hope to see you at one of these events if you are in the Asheville area. I will be in Philadelphia for the Buyer Market of American Craft's show at the convention center the first weekend in August. You can always find my work at The Woolworth Walk or Mountain Made Gallery in Downtown Asheville.

2009-04-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Process

2009-04-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

It has always been about the process for me. Getting in there and doing, bending, shaping. Finding out about what rules of clay are absolute. Still, I love “form and functions” way of co-habitating in clay. But lately I have been noticing a lack of understanding of the process behind a lot of art. Not just in clay but other medias too. Is it now the goal of commercial art to so veil this all important step that the visual dynamic of the art is the only valued quality? Clearly this has happened in our everyday material world items from egg-beaters to cell phones. They are all designed with built in expiration dates. But how could this so crass a value be pulled into a place as special as art? I will strive to continue to peruse the “old ways” as well as allow “the new” its due influence on my work but in the end it is the process behind the glaze I want collectors to behold.

In the news

2009-03-23T06:34:00.000-07:00

well I was in the paper yesterday! Its a nice little article check it out. I hope this will help with the slumping sales and get me some more viability in the Asheville area.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009903220325

New Website

2009-01-30T12:34:00.000-08:00

So where have I been? Lost in as sea of bitmaps and vectors. I have just posted the new Muddy Knees website and it has lots of new stuff like VIDEOS! I have just posted a few but will be getting more up as I have time for. Enjoy.

www.muddymontrie.com

New Year's

2009-01-08T06:51:00.000-08:00

It would seem the new year has come and gone. With family visiting and being sick, I haven't had much time to blog. Resolution one is to blog more. #2 is to work more on my publishing and internet presents. This means more items online and more pictures and videos. My website will go through some major changes in the first part of this year. This will include some interactivity, product registration and a buyers only section.

This year will also bring new designs of ornaments and a new line of tiles done using the same technique as the ornaments. I am hopping for more representation from galleries I'm in already and many new galleries. I am looking to pick up more west coast representation and to fill in some area that I have none. Thats a lot to ask for in a new year that is starting with global resestion, but with a little luck and some help from folks who know what "handmade american art and craft" is, we can get the job done.

Happy Daze

2008-12-21T09:24:00.000-08:00

Well the holidays are here and after a few days of recovering I am no longer a tired elf. As most of you, I am having family come for the week of Christmas and plan to hang with friends durring the few days left in the break till the new year. The new year is sure to bring many new changes for Muddy Knees Ceramic Design. With that in mind I have started designing the new ornaments for 2009 and have 3 great new shapes already. The image above are the 3 best selling shapes for 2008. Thanks to my new partnership with BlackBird Frame and Art, my new 2 D ceramic work is sure to be presented in the most professional manor. My thanks go out to everyone that has supported me by purchasing my product this year from me or one of my fine gallery partners. Have a great Holiday.

The B.I.G. Crafty

2008-12-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

I had a blast at The Big Crafty as did all the customers I talked to. I had just rushed a kiln load to have more ornaments for the show and I'm glad I did because I sold out of them. Thanks to my friends from the Rosen show that visited and to Mike and Molly for there help with the set up and sales. The place was bumping and even in the basement in the very back of the show where I was set up folks were making sales. Holiday music playing, free beer flowing, and people buying, made everyone in a great jolly mood.

If you missed it, make sure you don't next year. Its just another reason that Asheville is such a great place to live where creative people are so abundant.

Orders out and ready 4 retail

2008-11-24T19:05:00.000-08:00

All my ornaments are out in galleries now except for a few dozen that are part 2 of 2. Now I get to make pottery again. Yea. This is the part of the job I like. I will be throwing for a couple of weeks enough work for my downtown space at the Woolworth walk, my seconds studio sale at the house and the Big Crafty(downtown at the pack place). I have been designing a line of small pottery. Little vases and forms that will not break every ones little pocketbooks. Big bowl and platters are always good sellers so I have made a few of these too. Mugs and more are up for the thanksgiving break. The holidays are here and there seems nothing I can do to slow down time.

Mountain Made

2008-11-08T06:49:00.000-08:00

This one is now on sale at Mountain Made in the Grove Arcade.

Mountain Made

Blog Blues

2008-11-08T06:33:00.001-08:00

Ahhh I really wanted to type at this blog more but the time is just not there right now. Orders are due and not done and I am spending every waking moment trying to hit while the iron is hot. Good news from the retail front. Woolworth Walk my downtown gallery is doing better this month tho not as good as this time last year. who knows what the new year will bring but my first year there I was lousing like 75 bucks a month in Jan. Feb. and March. Last year was 11 months of profit there. Clay made the cover of the local rag here so that's exciting. Maybe some day clay artists will be treated like real people instead of children that like to play in the mud. I think part of the problem is that its so easy to make pottery and so hard to tell what is good pottery. There are also a ton of good ceramic artist here in Asheville. My favorite sushi place in town serves all its edible art on simple glazed slabs and has hand thrown dishes for the soy. Even a lot of buildings in town have ceramic terracotta exteriors that were at one time handmade. Good luck trying to pull that off today.

Holloween Blues

2008-10-29T07:29:00.000-07:00

Halloween used to be my favorite Holiday. For the last few years it has been getting more and more just a runway for Christmas. Every year I tell myself that I'm going to make some great fall/Halloween pottery but when the time rolls around I am once again backed up with Christmas ornament orders. Maybe I should try and make some Halloween stuff this Easter.

Well I do get to go trick or treating this year so that's fun. Sawyer told me that I have to go as a big dinosaur as he his going as a little one. The kids in my area are everywhere during Halloween. I think they might be trucking them in from somewhere. Its snowed here yesterday and it made me feel like the Christmas season is coming a little sooner then later this year. Lets hope so.

Late nights

2008-10-22T06:34:00.001-07:00

There is nothing like staying up late and getting up early day after day. This time of year I am up past midnight making ornaments and getting up with the little one at 7 (when I'm lucky). I do it because I am getting behind with production. I am catching up as I have promised my galleries ornaments by Nov. 15. It also helps that I think I have hit the grove for the season and am cranking some sweet product now. Its not that I don't like the overflow of customers this time of year, I just wish it could be a steady stream. Going from nothing to too many and back again is hard on me. I just remind myself how many others there are that would love to sell 1000 of anything, ever.

The kiln is about ready to unload so there will be a packing frenzy tonight and about 5 galleries will get work Monday. I have another batch in the wings and am producing dozens a day now. My goal is to have a large stock of un-purchased ornaments ready for The Big Crafty DEC. 7th. Everybody say it with me "Christmas season rebound"

Demo day 2

2008-10-20T05:42:00.000-07:00

Well ask and receive for day 2 outside Woolworth Walk. Downtown for the Southern Highlands Craft Fairs weekend at the civic center I let tons of people try out the potters wheel for the first time. I was glad to see a sunny warm day and the crowds were great. I didn't sell as much as I would have liked but the word is out and I met lots of great people who I'm sure will become collectors soon. ;) It was so sunny I even have a little sunburn. Just right because we had a freeze that night. Time to get some firewood. Thanks again to everyone that participated in this weekends demo.

Demo Daze

2008-10-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

Well I wish it would have warmed up a little more. What good is global warming if you can't throw pottery outside in October? I was overjoyed by the number of people not just viewing but getting involved and getting dirty! I love Asheville! Still after all these years the people who live here and the people who visit are some of the nice ones.

So traffic was stiff with a regular flow by the wheel. So good with so many people stopping by that we are doing it again tomorrow. A lot of kids with their eyes almost popping out of there face when I asked them if they wanted to give it a try. "really?" they would ask. "Yeah why not?" I would say "Are you afraid of getting a little dirty?
" I don't get to throw much these days. (that's "turn" for you southerners) I am so up to my neck with ornament production this time of year that its nice to just throw. No worrying about what it will look like in the end. It all was a pile of clay again.

So we may make the demo a regular thing when Highlands is in town. Just to remind Asheville. Yep. I'm here all year folks. A big thank you to the Woolworth Walk Staff and to all of you that came by.

Arrr ahhhhh but I love my 2 y/o

2008-10-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

It's been a long day with the little man and I haven't been able to get my glazing done yet. Some days I am just out of energy. Clay also can suck out the energy. The trick is to balance the days out because both are also so rewarding and time consuming. The trouble is that some days I get overwhelmed by all there is to do. Well today is not going to end as one of those days so I'm off to do a little night glazing.

Post crash potter

2008-10-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

So sales have fallen about 75% in Sept. and I am a little concerned. It seems like nobody knows what will happen to the economy. I make 3/4 of my income from Oct.-Dec. so you can see why I'm a little nervous. Having a degree in Economics doesn't help with the nerves these days. This year has been great. I have made money in months this year I only dreamed of selling pots during in the past. But now with the "crisis" whats a potter to do. Art is the first thing off the list when you loose income. So . . . I'll Blog about it.

This is my first attempt at a real blog. What will you find here? Just the day to day ramblings of a man who has been well wedged by the world. I am optimistic for the future. For the first time ever I am selling my pots online via Etsy. If you don't know about it, its a site for all handmade objects. Pottery fits that bill and I have even joined a team. The Etsy Mud Team! For the first time my work has made it out of the country now selling at the Gardiner Museum in Toronto and my work is selling at the Museum of Art and Design in NYC! Being a potter is like riding a roller coaster. Some days you are thrilled to be on top of the world. Some days you are so low you think you are going to be sick.

I will be updating this Blog during the weekdays only. If only a place to rant and rave, at least its a Potters Point of View.

-Andrew

http://www.muddymontrie.com/