Something for Both of Me

This time of year, my mind is very much a house divided: when I am in the studio, the garden tugs at my thoughts, and when I am in the garden, I often think of clay. This can be useful, as I often draw inspiration from things I see there, like this stalk of liatris buds. Couldn't you see that as the finial on a small lid?

A Dilemna

First, did I spell that right? The "N" seems superfluous, but "dilemma" looks wrong. And forget all about dilema, that looks like the name of a skin condition.

Anyway.

I've really been getting into these botanically-inspired pots: black stain on what will fire to gold-brown (more or less...) slip. The imagery is tightly painted and precise, the joy being when the soda vapor arrives and causes some part of it to discombobulate. My husband connected the dots for me: this is related to my usual work in the tension between the tight work: throwing, or in this case, brush work and the loose: my usual squishy alterations, or in this case, the softening effects of the flame. A metaphor, perhaps, about our best-laid plans?

Here is a fired version:

You can't see it here, but on the heavy soda side, the roses melt into blue-ish blotches.

So, where's the dilem...er, problem?

These are very time consuming. Not a problem in a larger sense: the world is not hurting for lack of mugs, which I must rush and finish. But my current sales outlets could not support what I would have to charge for these, in order to get paid for the work. By my behind-the-forehead math, these will have to retail for around $45, or twice what I charge for other mugs. Maybe more, because, of course, if most of the sales are to wholesale outlets, then I only get half...these really are slow going. On the other hand, I will probably get faster with practice.

I know there are stores in which a $45 mug is nothing out of the ordinary, but I am not in any of them, yet. So my plan is to make a few of this body of work each firing - I have some honey jars in the works, too, and it seems a natural for vases - but offer them only online. After a while, I will have a large enough grouping to approach one of the higher end outlets.

If you know of any store that might be interested - real-world, not online, as I don't want to compete with myself - please, let me know!!

These will unload Saturday, June 2.