Pottery Business Trip: Stamped Mugs for Duluth Coffee Company, Artist Dinnerware for Gallery Paige

“When asked about his chief concern as an artist and potter, he modestly replied, ‘I honestly do not know. I respond to something inside me and I do not know what I am doing until I have done it. The moment of completion is sharing with others. The work is from myself but not for myself.’”

–       Jonathan L. Fairbanks, about Brother Thomas, October 2007, from “Remembering Brother Thomas Bezanson,” Pucker Gallery, Boston.

The moment of completion is an exciting part of the pottery process. My old college professor, Sam Johnson, used to say that unloading glaze kilns was like Christmas or Halloween. Either the pots turn out great and cause an adrenaline rush of excitement, or ugly, flawed glazes send you plunging into a pit of despair.

When good pots do come out of the kiln, the artistic process continues to the viewer or user of those pots. Brother Thomas created forms and surfaces with inherent beauty, and he knew that this beauty needed to be shared. His work is exhibited in museums and galleries across the world. Sharing artwork lets artists grow by collecting feedback from viewers. Potters generally do this in 2 ways: exhibition and sales.

I see a lot of common ground between good kiln openings, selling pots, and exhibiting art. They involve the culmination of hard work and reaping rewards. The experiences happen quickly and often bring good vibes that linger for hours. Last Friday, I shared three of these experiences in one, epic day. It’s also worth mentioning 381 miles of travel, which comes to $215 in tax deductions at $.565 per mile according to www.irs.gov.

8:00am Kiln Opening

I opened the Skutt kiln and pulled out about 70 mugs for Duluth Coffee Company, made with a hand carved stamp by Bruno Press. I spent an hour polishing the bottoms of 100 total mugs, packaged them in 5 clay boxes and loaded the car. After a morning of errands, I drove from St. Joseph to Duluth.

Process Shot 2, Duluth Coffee Co

2:00pm Duluth Coffee Company Drop-off

Eric Faust, owner and roaster, met me with an awesome cup of fresh roasted coffee and a check. This was an order for re-sale, and it could revolutionize how I make new bodies of work for coffee shops. Last year, Eric worked with a potter that sold about 400 stamped mugs through his shop. The potter moved out of state and Eric has been searching for a potter to rejuvenate this project. I was lucky enough to meet him months ago, when visiting friends in Duluth and scouting coffee shops. I was even luckier when he offered to buy the mugs wholesale- the first time this has happen in my 3.5 years as a full-time potter.

Eric generously let me retain artistic freedom. Too often I have received requests for stamps, carvings, or colors that fall outside my aesthetic interests or capabilities. This project reflects Duluth Coffee Company’s philosophies about roasting and brewing signature, gourmet coffees for the local community.

Process Shot 3, Duluth Coffee Co Process Shot 1, Duluth Coffee Co

DuluthCoffeeMug3, Image 1  DuluthCoffeeMug2, Image 1 Duluth Coffee Company, Joel Cherrico Pottery Stamped Mugs, 2013 Stoneware Mugs Duluth Coffee Company, Joel Cherrico Pottery Stamped Mugs, 2013

8:00pm: Gallery Paige, Grand Opening

Paige Dansinger is a renowned painter and art historian who has exhibited internationally, including a show at the Guggenheim this past spring. We met coincidentally at Continental Clay supplier while she was buying machine-made plates and glazes to paint for a commission. I said, “It would be great if a potter could make plates for you” and she replied, “Well, do you make plates?” Also coincidentally, I was at Up Cafe performing pottery throwing demos, that day only. She saw me throw, saw the stack of 500+ pots in their space, and we caught the vibe that we need to team up.

In the 2 months I’ve known Paige, she’s come to my kiln space to paint on my pots, invited me to her studio to view her process and bring more pots, and opened a gallery. That’s right, she opened a gallery in the downtown Minneapolis Skyway mall!

Gallery Paige had the Grand Opening Friday. Dozens of her pieces graced the gallery walls as paint on canvas, painted plates, and her innovative #DrawArt displayed as video and projection. Artists and art collectors streamed in and out of the space for hours. I brought her the first 2 glazed, finished pots from our collaboration and we shared a toast to the next body of work! Her paintings are gorgeous and I feel honored to begin the process of making pots as canvases for such a renowned artist.

When I met Paige she said, “I want my paintings in museums all over the world, hanging next to Picasso.” I think she’s on track to live into that goal!

Paige Dansinger Paintings, Joel Cherrico, Artist Tableware, 2013, Gallery Paige, Van Gogh  Paige Dansinger Paintings, Joel Cherrico, Artist Tableware, 2013, Gallery Paige

Gallery Paige, Photo by Paige Dansinger, 2013

Photo by Paige DansingerPhoto by Artist Jim Mcallister, Gallery Paige, Joel Cherrico Pottery, 2013

Photo by video artist Jim Mcallister. View some of our collaborative work here:

https://www.cherricopottery.com/video/

Throwing Demo and Pottery Show at Up Cafe in NE Minneapolis

Stop by Up Cafe in NE Minneapolis on Friday, September 20th from 10am – 4pm and you’ll get a chance to watch me perform pottery throwing demonstrations. I’m also planning to bring down a few hundred pieces of my newest pottery. The cafe will be open as usual, serving all kinds of gourmet coffee drinks and bakery items, homemade gelato, and made-to-order panini sandwiches- all served on handmade Stoneware! Back, Postcard for Up Cafe, 2013Cherrico 3

Up Cafe Pottery

Header, Mailchimp, Up Cafe, Joel Cherrico Pottery, Stoneware Plates with Food
   Up Cafe, Minneapolis, Joel Cherrico Restaurant Pottery1     Up Cafe, Minneapolis, Joel Cherrico Restaurant Pottery2Up Cafe Minneapolis, Lunch served from Stoneware Pottery Up Cafe, Handmade Ceramic Pottery stock

“Pottery on the Deck” and Art Opening at the Minnesota Street Market Food and Art Co-op

Front, Postcard for Pottery on the Deck, 2013 Saturday, September 14th, from 4-9pm marks my first showing of pottery on the new, wooden deck that was recently built in downtown St. Joseph. It’s located between the Laundromat and the Minnesota Street Market Food and Art Co-op. I’ll be displaying a large selection of my newest pottery, and the Co-op is also hosting their Art Opening. We hope to make this a fun evening in St. Joseph. Also featured – Open House for Sue Alexander Method Massage, and Joseph’s Salon and Spa – Live music by Dave Cofell – Food, wine, coffee (thanks to the Local Blend coffee shop) and a giant Jenga! Check out the images below for the show postcard, as well as some images of the space where we’ll be hosting the show. See ya there!

Back, Postcard for Pottery on the Deck Show and Sale, 2013  Pottery on the Deck   Pottery in The Office, St. Joseph Laundromat, Photo by Sam Johnson   The Deck, St

Dave Cofell    Minnesota Street Market Co-op

 

Sue Alexander Method Massage and Joseph's Salon St    Office Pottery     

Not Your Typical Cold Call: An Inspiring Conversation with an Elder Potter

Last Wednesday afternoon I was attaching some handles to mugs and I got a strange call from a number in New Hampshire. Normally I let out-of-state calls go to voicemail because it’s often spam. For some reason I decided to wipe the clay off my hands and pick up.

The man on the line was Bruce Dix. He was Google searching a potter named, “Hong Jae Pyo” and he discovered my work. He asked, “Have you ever met this guy? Did you host him at your studio?” I said, “Bruce I don’t really have a studio, today I’m making pottery in my 3rd floor apartment. I’m only 25, I got the pictures of Hong Jae Pyo from a friend and just put them on my facebook.” Then Bruce said, “Oh so you’re a young guy, huh? Well I’m 65 and I’ve been a potter my whole life. I’ve gotta give you some advice while I’ve got you on the phone.”

This was the start of an hour long conversation about Bruce’s life as a potter.

The internet is so crazy. Hong Jae Pyo was a Korean potter practicing Yi Dynasty ceramics, and he toured the U.S. in the late 80’s. My only relation to him was by posting 2 images of his work on my Facebook page, because I’m really interested in his Copper Red glazes…we’ve never met, we’re not “tagged” together in any pictures. I simply typed “Hong Jae Pyo” as the image description and it was enough for Bruce to find him in Google, find my phone number on my website, and shoot me a call.

Hong Jae Pyo, Pottery Throwing Demonstration, photo by Kenneth Furber    Hong Jae Pyo, Pottery Throwing Demonstration, photo by Kenneth Furber, 2

Bruce went on to describe the time he spent with Hong Jae Pyo and 2 other Korean potters that were on tour with him.

“They were traveling to colleges to give demonstrations, eating Coke and Pizza, I could tell that they were really uncomfortable. They lived in small Korean villages with locally grown, good food. I invited them back to my place and cooked them a feast.”

Bruce went on about the potters. “I had porcelain, stoneware, and terra cotta. Each potter used a different clay and we made pots for days. They spent time by the ocean, walked around outside, away from the city. They were really humble, nice people.”

Our conversation shifted to Bruce’s life and his desire to give me advice. I don’t remember everything he said word for word, but here’s what I took away from our conversation:

Pottery Insurance

“Take your best piece from each firing – the jewel – and put it in a box. In 20 years, you’ll have a show of these pots in New York City, sell $100,000 and be able to retire. Plus, you can pull these pieces out from time to time for inspiration. It shouldn’t be hard to keep from selling these pots right away. You have family heirlooms, you don’t try to sell these, right?”

$0.25 Mugs

“When I was your age, I sold my mugs for 25 cents each. If you can get $25 per mug then you’re doing great, keep going!”

No Art Festivals

Bruce never did a single craft fair.

Word-of-Mouth

“Eventually all of your customers will come to you, it just takes time- years and years. Try unconventional ways to sell your pots. Call one of the big banks in your city and politely ask to speak with someone in charge of marketing and corporate gifts. Put on a white, clean shirt, white pants, and bring them some of your pots.”

Colleagues, Not Competitors

“You should never have competitors, you’re never competing against other potters. Find the potters that you have similarities with and spend your time with these potters.”

Ignore Criticism

“As your career builds, you’ll start to get a lot more criticism. Ignore people who criticize your work. Don’t let it bring you down, just go find like-minded potters.”

———————————————————————————————-

You won’t find Bruce’s work online, he’s not interested in giving up privacy to get his pots out into the world.

Special thanks to Ken Ferber for originally sharing the images of Kong Jae Pyo that he snapped during a 1988 workshop. Ken let me photograph his images, as well as sections of a book that he bought during the workshop.

Joel Cherrico Blog Post, Bruce Dix, Kenneth Ferber, Rolling Stone, Jimi Hendrix, www.cherricopottery.com 01    Joel Cherrico Blog Post, Bruce Dix, Kenneth Ferber, Rolling Stone, Jimi Hendrix, www.cherricopottery.com 02 Joel Cherrico Blog Post, Bruce Dix, Kenneth Ferber, Rolling Stone, Jimi Hendrix, www.cherricopottery.com 03      Joel Cherrico Blog Post, Bruce Dix, Kenneth Ferber, Rolling Stone, Jimi Hendrix, www.cherricopottery.com 04 Joel Cherrico Blog Post, Bruce Dix, Kenneth Ferber, Rolling Stone, Jimi Hendrix, www.cherricopottery.com 05     Joel Cherrico Blog Post, Bruce Dix, Kenneth Ferber, Rolling Stone, Jimi Hendrix, www.cherricopottery.com 10