When I was on Granville Island last Thursday I popped into the Gallery of BC Ceramics. Apparently I just missed Keith and Celia Rice-Jones who had been doing some touch-up work on the gallery walls. My work is in a new spot, a nice long shelf. I like to take a photo so that I have an idea of what might be suitable to take in next time.
Dan Severance, a TriCity Potter who works mainly at the Port Moody Arts Centre, has a really colourful group of practical but fun ware displayed. I was particularly impressed with a slab-built plate. His teapot and two mugs were shown in the TriCity Potters’ show last September. (see my blog: ‘TriCity Potters show opens’ Sept 13th 2010) Dan’s first pottery lessons may have been from me back in the nineties!
After I’d given the Circle Craft staff the large green bird for a customer going to Taiwan I checked out my display there too. They have two small shelves for me just now and I noted that the salt pieces are mainly still there. There is only one earthenware bird out at the moment so that means I must get more colourful birds in to them. The salty pieces went quite quickly at first – useful sized jugbirds, but it may be that I love the Medalta pieces too much and have put too high prices on them because I don’t actually want them to go! How unprofessional.
Having one’s work on consignment always leaves one wondering about how it is promoted and why some work stays in the store room. It is a privilege to be in such a high-profile location and I know that production work pays the rent and the staff. Mine takes longer to sell but I know that lowering the prices is the wrong thing to do.
Even though they only ask for 6 or 8 jugbirds at a time, I do like the fact that the Airport Crafthouse buys the work wholesale and do pay me promptly.
Sad news by email is that Handworks Gallery in Oliver, BC is to close at the end of March. Esther Brown asked for my work when she opened the Craft Gallery a few years ago and I was happy to be represented in the Interior. I suppose summer visitors don’t make up for really quiet months over the winter. Esther will be returning any unsold stock soon, she tells me so that can help my Studio Tour display in April. But I’m sorry to see Handworks close.
