Reflections on The Tour

Once a year I wipe down all of my pottery and put it out on display.  It garnishes every suitable open workspace that I have in my studio.  There is that moment when I have finished the last bit of cleaning and I take a moment to simply admire the work that I have done.  I don't linger long, but it is important to take it all in collectively and feel pride.  Back in my days of training as a classical singer, I had an opera coach that encouraged us to look at a performance as simply stepping out of our linear progression to say this is where I am and where I have come from.   It is not the end product, but the place where my progression has led me, and I will continue from here.  I have always liked this idea, so this is where I am in my journey.

I would like to offer my gratitude to all of the many people that ventured up my dirt road to visit my studio this past weekend on The Dixon Studio Tour.  I enjoyed the support of many Dixon locals, as well as those that came from near and far.  It is a special time for our community when we put on display our talents as artists, organizers, and volunteers.  It is a great undertaking to put on such an event in a tiny village, and one that we couldn't do without the many members of our community that donate their time to helping out the artists in various ways.  Many of us have the support of friends and family that help out by baking, wrapping our goods, directing traffic, and in my case, watching over the kids.  No small task goes unnoticed.  This year the weather was beautiful and the shoppers were out, both are essential elements to a successful tour.  Yes, I would consider it a great success this year.

I took a few special orders this weekend for items that were either sold out or just not in the glaze you wanted.  I will have one more round of firings before Christmas, and then close up the studio for the cold month of January.  If you are interested in a specific item, please let me know soon so that I can get it into the next firing.  There was a great deal of interest in the fermentation crocks and I will be making more for this firing, but it is best to get your name down for one because they will go quickly.   I will not be at the Espresso Gallery this year, but I am always available for you to come by my studio.  Just drop me a line at lkindler@gmail.com to let me know when you will be here.  I am also in the process of replenishing my inventory in my Etsy shop if you are not nearby.  Please keep in mind that I have a lot of inventory that is not on my Etsy shop, so feel free to contact me directly and I will send you pictures of anything you might be interested in.

Cups of Many Colors

I love this photo at the top.  It displays all but one of my glazes.  I got a commission to make these tall cups and she requested that I use a variety of glazes of my own choosing.  There is something incredibly fun about them.  She has a large family with lots of kids.  I can imagine each kid choosing a cup and always knowing which one belongs to them because of the distinct glaze.  I've had a few other mothers come into my studio to choose different cups for each one of their children.  It is the same in my house with no two cups being the same.

The photo below is the large fermentation crock that I pulled out of the kiln this morning.  I had two in this firing and they are both spoken for.  The bad news is that I had one crack before it even made it into the first firing.  That was heartbreaking because a lot of work went into it, but this is the way the clay crumbles.  I'm excited about these crocks and I plan on making many more.  Every time I tell someone about them, they hand me a new idea for marketing them.  I'm hoping to find the time to run with all of these ideas that people are throwing at me.

Although the cups and crocks are already spoken for, I did unload a number of items that will simply be for sale in my studio and on Etsy.  I have french butter dishes back in stock.  I also have this beautiful raku wall pocket to the left available.  I love this piece, and I am very happy that I managed to get it out of the kiln with my tongs before breaking it.  It was a little dicey there for a minute, but well worth the struggle.

Fermentation Crock

Moat

Crock base

Lid

Many months ago I was asked by a local friend and farmer to make a German fermentation crock.  I had no idea what she was talking about.  She started describing a large gallon-sized crock with a moat around the top for water to make a seal that would keep out the mold and bacteria.  She sent me some pictures to clarify my fuzzy understanding.  It wasn't entirely clear to me how I would make this work, so it went on the back burner.  The holidays came and went, personal grief entered my life, and I wasn't in the studio much.  As I was getting back to work after all of this, I had a second person ask me to make one.  I gave it some more thought, and the solution finally hit me.  I'm not sure why it took so long, but it did and I've finally taken on both commissions.  I made the moat separately and adhered it to the top of the large crock with some coils once it was leather-hard.  I am very pleased with the final result. Considering they are made in three pieces, you have to add a knob, and they are quite large, it is a lot of work to make these. However, I do plan on making many more of these to sell out of my studio and possibly online.  I personally find them interesting, and I believe there is a market for them.

Fermented foods are certainly recognized as healthy.  Several years ago I read the book Wild Fermentation and was intrigued.  My husband went right after the sauerkraut, but I remember feeling like I wish that we had a good vessel for making it in.  I am making inserts to go along with these crocks so that will weigh down the vegetables to submerge them in the liquid.  I think that is one of the places where we went wrong, but it is the water seal that I believe will make the biggest difference.  Eventually I will make one of these that is sub-par, and it will find its way into my own kitchen alongside all of the other mediocre things that I've made that aren't fit for selling.  It's sad but true; however, I do look forward to giving this fermentation thing a go in a proper crock.