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consignment and last pots

updated mon 7 dec 98

 

Tony and Sheila Clennell on sun 6 dec 98

Been busy moving studio, home and life so haven't been on the list but have
some time to addres a couple of issues. This is Saturday night and I'm on
Clayart. What a party aninimal I must be.
Consignment Our work sells very well so if there is a gallery that I would
like to sell our work I go for consignment on the first shipment. If it
sells and it will, I receive 10-20% more money than I would have selling
wholesale. It also offers you a better chance to offer the gallery the work
you want to make. With the wholesale arrangement we found stores ordering
more of the same. This runs against the grain of our work which is never
the same for too long.
We belong to an artists co-operative, which is consignment, run by the
members and we get monthly cheques.
However like Minnesota Mel we go to great lengths to sell everything from
the home farm. We're good at it, like people, like to get !00% of the moola
and can educate people about the pots we make. Stores don't want woodfire,
saltglaze, shino,and ash glaze pots in great abundance. These are the pots
we make. The stores want pots that need no selling. Killer blue glazes,
wallpaper decoration, fish, critters, zigzags and spirals. I'm heading for
the manure pile here, I think I'll switch gears

The last pot- I read Jack Troys Playing 20 questions and now Peggy Heers
latest post. What whould you make if you only had 6 months to live? As some
of you know we have a chance to start our pottery new and fresh after 21
years in northern Ontario making pots. We will be not making pots for a
period of 4-5 months, while kilns, studio and home are built and renovated.
Time to think alot about this question. I think I know the answer but it
is a hard one to live up to.
My very best pots were made from clay, I made myself, made on a kick wheel,
and fired in my wood kiln. None of my other pots even come close to these
ones.
I just bought an old dough mixer, ordered a Lockerbie kick wheel and am
building the coffin kiln this spring. I hope to make pots that I will be
proud to leave behind to our children and friends. It's a tall order.
I hope I haven't missed Mels tales of Britain. If he didn't mention warm
beer and lousy food, he didn't go to the Britain of my heart.
Cheers,
Tony

Tony and Sheila Clennell
4545 King Street RR# 1
Beamsville, Ontario Canada L0R 1B0
phone (905) 563-9382
fax (905) 563-9382
e mail clennell@bestnet.org