Feedback from Fairs

Vase.  Soda Fired.

With the onset of terrible heat in the Midwest, my art fair season is over.  I usually plan it that way.  Art fairs are a lot of work, but I like to get direct feedback from people.  It's like having a two day critique.

Critiques are not something I shy away from.  I know others think critiques are painful, but they help me grow.  Because of feedback from patrons, my finished work feels smooth, only feeling rough in places where the visual contrast is necessary, and never where a hand would make regular contact with the piece.

Because of feedback from patrons, I throw much thinner now than I ever have, making many of my pieces much lighter. I've also learned that light pieces seem frail to patrons, and people don't necessarily want all their functional pieces to be light.

What I learned at this year's fairs is that people really do appreciate heavily etched pieces that incorporate a lot of texture.  They really do appreciate all the work put into one piece.  So for this next round of work, I really want to push myself to make sure every piece is carved, slip trailed, and/or stamped.  Every piece should be special.