#ArtsAndBusiness

[lindseymdillon]

Feb. 7, 2017: A Mad Scientist with Underglaze

If I were a scientist, I’d be sitting in a ruffled white lab coat, glasses askew, and hair a mess, writing in an old leather-bound log, “My experiments are yielding no results...I’m missing something, I must keep trying.”

Unfortunately, the scenery this evening was much less dramatic, yet the sentiment is the same. Sitting on a little beige pillow at my coffee table with Supernatural in the background, I spent almost 3 hours contemplating -- and experimenting with -- the ideal tensile strength and flexibility for a ceramic stencil. Zip Lock bags should become my sponsor, because after testing various plastic bags (most too easily torn) and layers of clear packaging tape (not flexible enough to show the design clearly), my hope rests on their quart-size freezer bags. Only more experiments will tell.

The last few days have been rather eventful, and I’ve not spent nearly enough time taking account of the lessons learned.

1. When taking a commission, write down and clarify as many of the options as possible. Will the inside of the cup be the same color as the outside? (Consider the additional time that could take.) Do you want the same clay for each piece? (If multiple pieces are being ordered.)

2. When taking a commission, have standard glazes made in larger batches, and offer those. If another glaze is requested, allow time for glaze testing (on the correct clay body), and have the price of the piece account for the increased cost. 

3. Speckled Buff clay gets rough when fired to cone 5/6. I’m not sure how I missed that memo, but remember that if you’re going to make functional pieces, it’s going to take time to smooth out that bottom rim so it doesn’t scratch the surface of your customer’s coffee table. That could ruin their Supernatural-watching experience.

4. Be sure to apply the Amaco Velvet Underglaze thickly enough. Overall it does well, but when fine text is called for, give it a twice over.

No “Top 5” today. Just four. Sorry.

Spring promises to be a busy time. I’ve started an Independent Study (kind of), and it’s really exciting to be working with a small group of people who are pushing to bring their work -- and their business savviness -- to a new level. The other members of the cohort work in small metals (jewelry), but all of us aim to have a cohesive series to have up for a time in DISPLAY in Oak Park. Fanime also looms on the horizon, and I’m hoping these early experiments will save me time as the convention gets closer. I think I’m going shopping tomorrow though...I’m going to have to get those freezer bags.

Sac City Volunteer 9am-1pm; Misc Duties and Experimentation Est. 4 hrs.

[alanraw]

Business and the Arts (Article 3, The Creative & Cultural Column, in HullMag)

Business and the Arts (Article 3, The Creative & Cultural Column, in HullMag)

The Creative & Cultural Column

Business and the Arts

What are the disadvantages of businesses getting involved in supporting the arts? One well-founded worry is that businesses will play it safe and only want to support non-controversial subject matter. After all, no business wants to be associated with frightening, disgusting or confusing their customers. Also, those deciding on where to put…