Art Fairs
by Tom Richards on 10/07/10
I just returned from St. Louis after checking out the Shaw Neighborhood’s “Historic Art Fair”. I struggle with art fairs – it’s not just that I am not well known –I think that in part my work is a little bit different.
I make things (or is that create – at times I still duck out of the way when I get called creative or an artist – this is probably better left to a future posting) that are of interest to me and enjoy the process of exploration. How can I get the clay go in the direction I want it to? And when the unexpected happens follow that to the next thing. I get a kick out of the response of pushing the clay.
As a result of all this I make six or ten pieces in a particular style of shape and then six or ten of another the 2nd batch does not look like the first or third batch.
I recently had a good friend pick up my pots from a group firing that I had participated in - he left about a third of them because he did not recognize them. They did not look like others.
What all this is pointing to is this: when you walk into my booth there is nothing that looks alike – I have wood fired pieces over hear and reduction fired reds, celadons and some shinos over there and then some mid fired blues, whites and browns over there. (I now leave the pit fired and most of the raku at home because of this) Walk into another potter’s booth you see recognizable work. They have a set glazes and forms that they work in. Yea well I don’t do that. I have to explain to everyone that I use a variety of glazes and firing techniques. You won’t find anything alike……
Sorry if this rambled too much - Good or bad I don’t know – I am getting ready for a small art fair this weekend…..McIntyre’s on Centre Street in Woodbridge by the Harding’s, Friday night the 8th and Saturday the 9th.
Thanks,
tom
