Blog

This year has been a busy year in the studio. Working, listening to books on tape (I particularly liked “The Book of Air and Shadows”, by Michael Gruber), reading blogs and attending a few conferences. SxSW, the Feast Conference and the American Craft Conference are 3 that stand out.

It was my goal several years ago to stop doing shows; that is, stop doing trade shows and craft shows to sell my work. I have more or less succeeded and continue to learn about ways to show and sell my work. Mostly by work of mouth and brides seem to find me. Learning and sharing by attending conferences is far preferable to standing in a booth and selling my work. Conferences often lead to other surprising kinds of development.

I am working on goals and planning for 2010, which everyone seems to feel will be better than this past decade. One goal I want to commit to right here, right now, is more regular blogging. So, let me leave you with a thought for new years eve and day- Let ‘er rip. Well, that maybe more for me than you, but hey, maybe you relate?

Thank you for stopping by. See you next year!

Thanksgiving 2009, Brooklyn, NY

My friends Laura and John sent this great shot of their Thanksgiving Day dinner table. Yay table art!

Grasshopper510 is currently stocking the following 3 collections. These are brand new and include the new standard white, “Naked Dishes”. Serveware, low bowls, veggie bowls and miso bowls make great gifts, or add to your collection of serving pieces in advance of the holidays.

Naked Dishes :: low bowl, veggie bowl, place setting, 4 miso bowls, oval platter

Half Stripe :: Orange, Yellow and Lime : assorted bowls plates and platters

Half Stripe :: Jade, Turquoise, and Periwinkle : assorted bowls and platters

These pieces are glazed with half stripes, inspired by works on paper I have been doing since last spring. The paintings on paper came out of studies for stripes in textiles. I am particularly interested in the way the glazes break as they are layered. The process has roots in majolica glazing technique.

Robin Petravic, owner of Heath Ceramics, spoke at the American Craft Council’s conference, Creating a New Craft Culture in Minneapolis October 17.This is culled from my notes of his talk.

Petravic and Catherine Bailey, wife, partner and co-owner, bought the company in 2002.   Robin and Cathy were designers; Rob product design engineer and Kathy an industrial designer.  Together they set the vision and the culture. Design and craft are at the forefront of their vision.

In 2009, the business grew. The business is 5-6 times bigger than when they bought it in 2002.  The building was built in 1959. The building feels like a Case House study. Very modern. They have 2 stores, one in Sausilito, one in Los Angeles and plan on opening one in San Francisco next year. Their business model is to sell directly to customers.

There were 24 people there when Petrovic and Bailey bought the business in 2002. Today there are 80 employees. Everything is manufactured on a human scale. 45 pepople work in production.

He compared working for, i.e. Nike, where the design process is divorced from the actual making and the making takes place on a larger scale (huge factories in foreign lands). Heath is much more rewarding because everything is made on site.

Charles and Ray Eames

Picture of Charles and Ray Eames working in real materials, as opposed to foam core or some other typical mock up material common in industrial design model making.

Heath has always been about designing and making. All Heath Ceramics are made on the premises in Sausolito.

Many employees have been there a long time. It is the last pottery of its kind in California. Edith Heath has left this legacy. She taught herself how to make pots and was a potter. She designed the clay bodies and taught herself chemistry. The holistic depth of knowledge of the work informs the work.

Eva Zeisel, in contrast is more about the form only. Heath is about the materials.

At Heath, the move to production pottery came out of came out of a curiosity of industry and used as a tool.

Petravic talks about 3 generations of shoppers, still loyal, still bringing new people to shop.

Design has brought a renewed interest and relevence to the brand. Tiles are a big part of the business.

He thinks of himself as a designer/maker/enabler.

Christina Zamora is their main designer.

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Rob Walker spoke to the gathering on Saturday morning. As a fan and sometime reader of his column, “Consumed“, I was excited to hear him speak. He is the author of Handmade 2.0 and Buying in.

Mr. Walker states that he is interested

in the point of view of the buyer.

Here are 3 trends he points out that may or may not be true.

1: Authenticity!
Craft as a superior response to mass production. Consumers are concerned about how things are made, under what conditions and where they come from. There is a growing anxiety about the how what and where of products.

People want efficiency, but the rejection of mass production is highly selective. (he puts a photo of an iPhone on the screen).
2: Ethics!
Today’s consumer cares about labor. The notion of ethical consumption goes back to labor movements, civil rights, etc. He mentions the Boston Tea Party as an early protest against the unethical, unfair importation of tea.

The Consumer protection act has been in decline since the 1980’s which has given advocates like Ralph Nader stronger platforms and greater need in society.

Wanting to feel like an individual while being part of something.

3: Quality!
The idea of being “inclusive” is good but raises the ire of craft fundamentalists.

The Austin Craft Mafia began to attract attention and create meaningful interchanges when they made truly helpful tutorials and put them up on You Tube.

The urge to compete vs. the urge to cooperate struggle and raise a fertile soil from which to grow.

Walker says the story behind behind a handmade object is what sets it apart from the mass produced object. But then there is the picture of the iPhone again.

Handmade objects have a personal story, one of the making, connecting them to the maker. Walker tells us we need to focus on the story of the person we are making for. The maker is less important than the buyer.

These definitions of craft are becoming a bigger part of larger stories. Can they expand by connecting the DIY movement with the “high craft” world? Multiple versions of craft is just fine. Opening conversations that address these tensions can lead to a revitalized field.

Walker has included some links specific to his talk on his blog.