I have just been in contact with a potential new gallery to show/sell my work. I won’t divulge too many details until I have it all worked out, but they want to buy them outright instead of on consignment which is how the other two galleries I am in operate. They will take a few pieces at a time and order more as needed, so hopefully this works out. The only minor glitch is that they are located in the Crowsnest Pass (about an hour and a half drive South from Calgary). As I work during the week, delivery on a week day is impossible. I could ship all the orders, but that eats into my profits. They do drive to Calgary every so often and could pick up, and that would be a good option. If they take delivery on a weekend (Saturday), then I would not mind driving it down myself. I love the drive down the 22. If this works out then I will have been accepted into my 3rd gallery without having to really work for it. So far it has been via introductions from 3rd parties. Galleria took me on when my teacher recommended me and Centennial invited me to join after I took part in a group show there (I was invited into the show by a friend who is a member). This time I was introduced to the gallery via one of Dave’s students that no longer attends Fairview, but she works in the Crowsnest and joined the Pass pottery club down there for convenience. She thought of me when her friend who owns this gallery approached her about new potters to get into their shop. I like not having to work too hard to get representation. One of my biggest faults is that I do NOT like to toot my own horn, and as a result, have never approached a gallery cold. It could also be that I am too busy (lazy? scared of rejection?) to do the legwork...
Anyway, on a somewhat related tangent, it has become apparent that pottery sales, at least as far as craft sales go, have been fantastic this year. Not only did Fairview Studios break a sales record this year, apparently so did the Northmount Pleasant sale and many of the potters that get supplies at CC were saying that the large shows they have been in have been fantastic as well. So...my hope is that this demand for handmade pottery will trickle down to the galleries. I have to say that for the past few years, I have not relied on galleries for any sort of reliable source of money. Perhaps the pendulum is swinging back towards the handmade side of things and people are starting to realize that just because it is cheap doesn’t mean it’s a good deal. I think that consumers these days are very conscious of where their money is going, who is reaping the benefits, was it ethically manufactured, safety etc. It seems these days that every time you turn around there is another story in the news about toxic/tainted food, manufacturer recalls, lead in your plastic toys, mercury in your fish etc...Also, if you buy the cheap mass produced product from an overseas company, your money goes over seas too...and eventually we are out of a job. Not that if all potters in N.America went out of business the economy would collapse, but it would be a very sad day indeed. Not to mention that when we make money, that money is then spent in the community (for the most part anyway). So, I am hoping that this buying handmade is a trend, and not an outlying blip.
On a less boring and slightly humorous note...I got an e-mail from one of my Mum’s friend’s that reads this blog (one of the few that do I am sure). She had read my blog about perhaps getting an Etsy store up and running and she wanted to warn me to not get my stuff posted on regretsy.com I had never heard of this before and it is hilarious. So, if you have a warped sense of taste, check it out. I guess it is mostly stuff that people have purchased from Etsy, but this stuff falls into the realm of failed crafts.
