Retired? Sort of.
I feel deep gratitude for you, our loyal pottery patrons and friends, for all of these years. Thank you for enjoying our production work, the mugs and fruit baskets, bowls and platters.
We feel very lucky to be retired this year when the art fairs are all cancelled. We also feel great compassion for those friends who depend on art fairs for their livelihoods, as well as so many in this time of great economic challenges.
Sam has retired completely from the pottery business. He used to claim that he was only a "potter by marriage," with humility toward the amazingly creative work that he made. But he will make no more stoneware fruit baskets. We have some inventory remaining. I continue to create special pieces. However, without a second person to produce, I am very slow to fill our kiln.
Right now I am most interested in planters and bonsai succulents. I've been raising these plants for many years, selling them locally in my handmade planters. It's not a great marketing strategy, but I enjoy working with the living plants and creating unique planters. In particular, I've designed a planter with a built-in saucer. They are usually handbuilt (without the potter's wheel) and highly textured.
I haven't fired all year and have several items all glazed and ready to fire, but I need to fill a bisque firing before proceeding. Here are photos of work in progress:
 |
| Most of these mugs will be sold through Sundance Gallery in Buena Vista, Colo. |
 |
| unglazed planters in process |
 |
| Overfill in watering will pitcher down into the "saucer." |
Firing schedule is undetermined at this point.
TAQUILE ISLAND TEXTILES
In the meantime, we progress with marketing the textiles, fairly traded mostly for solar gear, which we bring home from Peru We have initiated an Etsy site. Do check it out https://www.etsy.com/shop/TaquileFriends
Yes, and for more stories about what this Peru relationship is all about: www.taquilefriends.blogspot.com
Thanks for listening!
