Being represented-a shout out!

I gotta be honest with y'all. I don't like doing shows. Fact is selling is the part of the process I dislike the most. If I had independent means I would make things to give away to nice people. Maybe in another life. I would rather be in the studio or biking than packing pots and standing around looking happy for a few days. I do enjoy old friends, my peers and the social part of the shows but the packing and standing you can have it. I would rather send the work to a gallery and have them sell it. Trouble is in Ontario there are few bona fide galleries that actually represent their artists. Wholesale is almost unheard of unless you make a production line of same ole's that sell like hot cakes. Retail stores like things that are like the ones they just sold. This is difficult for one off potters. Consignment now seems to be 50/50 and often there is also a membership fee. So take your $40cup pay 50%commission, plus membership, minus clay, glazes, time and transportation and you are working for less than McPukes pays it's employees and at McPukes you are gurarteed to get paid that week. I was awakened to consignment a long time ago when a gallery came to my pottery and asked if he could take it all. Of course he wanted it all. It was free! I said no! One exception is General Fine Crafts in Almonte, Ontario sole proprietor Richard Scorbeki. Richard a Ceramic Artist knows how he has been treated and how his artists should be treated. Firstly when you send work to Richard he takes amazing photographs of your work for the website. https://generalfinecraft.com/makers-by-category/ceramics/tony-clennell/. I look at these photos and feel proud of my work and thankful to Richard for putting that extra time into representing me. He also always sends a nice note

commenting on the new work. That also motivates me. When he makes a sale of a nice piece he emails me immediately. What this does is motivates me to make new interesting work. Selling at the farm gate is best although it means you have to be there. The moment you have headed out to the bank or a bike ride the customer will show and be pissed that you weren't there.