Our Friends are on Television!

21Jan12

Paul Regnier, the narrator and also a fine naturalist, is a dear friend of ours and we learn something about Door County‘s flora and fauna whenever we spend time with him. Gary Kiracoff, the scrimshander in Ephraim and his wife, Dawn, have an awesome studio and store. The history of scrimshaw is a fascinating read. Eric Lewis has been singing in Door County for so long I can’t remember a time when he didn’t. And Sievers School of Fiber Arts has a national reputation as one of the finest weaving schools in the country, and it’s right here, on Washington Island.

Enjoy this lovely segment on Door County.

The January 2012 edition of the regional TV show Door County TODAY, featuring Ephraim’s unique Scrimshanders retail store, snowshoeing how-to with naturalist Paul Regnier, multi-instrumentalist Eric Lewis, and Sievers School of Fiber Arts on Washington Island.

Filed under: ceramics, Door County News, Ellison Bay Pottery   |  Leave a Comment

Special Copper Reds SALE For Valentine’s Day

18Jan12

ON SALE UNTIL SUNDAY JANUARY 22.

FREE SHIPPING & FREE GIFTS & CHOCOLATE WITH EACH PURCHASE

GO TO OUR ETSY STORE TO SHOP 

OR

FOR MORE DISCOUNTS  SHOP THE GALLERY 12-4 DAILY

CALL US 920-740-5859 or 920-854-5049

NOT INTO REDS? WE’VE GOT OTHER GLAZES

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Tags: Chocolate, free gifts, free shipping, glazes, reds

13th Annual Holiday Open House

15Nov11

Christmas Begins: November 25, 26, and 27 from 10-5

We’ve been hosting an OPEN HOUSE here since 1998.  A few years after we started this tradition the rest of the artist members of the newly formed Ellison Bay Arts group decided we had a good idea and decided to expand on our idea to include all of Ellison Bay.

Now in it’s thirteenth year, the Open House has a different personality each year. Last year we had decorate your own ornament, which was a lot of fun. This year, of course, we’ll be doing something different.

As usual, the 2011 Ornament will be revealed.  Homemade Christmas Cookies and Hot Spiced Cider plus Christmas candy canes scattered around will be available all weekend.  John will be demonstrating Friday and Saturday mornings.

SPECIALS: Free ornament with each purchase. We’ll ship the gifts for you and we will even gift wrap it free for you. Included in this will be tags and cards for you to write your holiday message. Phone-email-Etsy orders are included in this.

LAST CHANCE: This is the last weekend to place a special order with the guaranteed delivery before Christmas. 

Filed under: ceramics, Door County News, Ellison Bay Arts, Ellison Bay Pottery, etsy, Handmade, stoneware   |  Leave a Comment

Glazing and Firing Updates

15Nov11

Ella’s Birds

After days and weeks in the studio at the wheel and the slab roller the shelves in our studio are full of dried and drying pottery. John has three elements to each firing cycle: he wants to get to the orders, add to the inventory and try out new shapes and glazes.

For each kiln load we must make between 200-250 pieces of varying sizes. The kiln shelves are moveable so there must be enough pieces of the right height. Loading the kiln is rarely a straight forward; it’s an art and an intuitive process. I’ll never even try to learn. John knows the good spots in the kiln for the right colors, to not choke the air in the kiln by loading too many plates, and just how close to push each peice to another. After 38 years with this kiln, he knows it best.

Glazing is an insane process for us. We do all the decorating and designing before we glaze, so it’s pretty much dip this pot in that bucket over there.

Sounds easy, right? Right: We either hot or cold wax the parts we don’t want glaze on; we apply inside glazes, which are usually not the same as outside glazes. We wax over glazes on the handles of mugs to keep them white; plug holes in lamps, put on 2 or more glazes. And clean.

Clean the wareboards. Clean the bottoms of each glazed piece. Touch up glazes. Touch up colors.
Six to eight weeks. That’s how long it takes to make enough pots for our 42 cu. ft. kiln.

I took some pics of today’s work in the studio:

Little Boxes

Covered jars and small sculptures

Glamorous Glaze Buckets: THE TRUTH!

“Secret Windows”

Cone packs on the bottom and Porcelain vases.

Soup mugs

I’ve got to get back to the studio to get my “Secret Windows” done asap. I always leave the hardest for last, when I am all warmed up.

Filed under: ceramics, Door County News, Ellison Bay Pottery, Handmade, Our Gallery, stoneware   |  1 Comment

Educate Those Who Ask for Donations of Your Art — Art Biz Blog

09Nov11

All artists are approached by not for profits for donations. The carrot is always-Your Name will be on the program and think of all the good will you will get.

Not.

We have been giving only gift certificates and that does bring people into our gallery so we don’t lose all the way.

What hurts, really, is what the author of the piece said: It devalues us as artists. And the bidders are looking for a bargain.

Yes, even though it’s a fund raiser for an organization that they support they don’t want to give as much as they can, they want to give as little and be rewarded for that behavior.

We were told by someone as they came to pick up a gift certificate that it wasn’t as if we were having to give any money.

Well, to those who hold that same thought: We sell our art for MONEY. It’s how we make a living. It’s our day job. It’s not something we chose to do after retirement.

So, you were wrong. She must have used that line with others because she wasn’t working with that organization the next year and we actually got an apology.

So, we agree wholeheartedly with her suggestion:
Buy our work and you auction it off yourself and encourage your patrons to see it as a chance to raise MORE money, not get a bargain.

Off the soapbox, for now.

 

 

 

 

Educate Those Who Ask for Donations of Your Art — Art Biz Blog.

Filed under: art, art shows, Door County News, Ellison Bay Wisconsin, How To   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: art donations, donations