Pottery is an art where you must continue to move forward with your techniques and creativity. Often you are limited by your equipment. I now have nearly three times the capacity and firing options. With the additional wheel I have the ability to keep several pieces in process at a time. Getting new equipment feels a lot like buying a new car. You cringe at the expense until you settle down into the new seat. It feels good. Pottery is a harmonious mix of equipment, technology, and art. The quality of your equipment can enhance the quality of your work.
I would much rather be up to my elbows in mud but the studio is a business and requires a certain amount of diligence and support. I strive to offer the best quality handmade bonsai pots I can at a good value and an acceptable profit level. The additional equipment will help me maintain both.
I have experimented over the years with seasonal sales and shipping discounts and quite frankly it all seemed a little tacky to me. I am running a pottery studio not Walmart. It is not easy to maintain the integrity of your image and show any concern over the value you offer. There are several trains of thought for pricing among potters. You can charge high end prices to portray high end work or you can go the flea market route. I am most comfortable somewhere in the upper mid point on that scale. Art and value can coexist.
It takes no more time to produce genuinely good work. Complacency in the craft is easy to spot. Unfinished and untrimmed bottoms speak more to the pride of the maker than that which is visible. First and foremost your work must speak for itself. Money and patronage will follow as naturally as flowers after a spring rain. I would much rather produce to my own personal level of expectation and satisfaction than produce to a price point.
On a personal and business level I want and need to concentrate on the craft. My objective is to keep the studio doors open and offer you quality hand made Bonsai Pots. I appreciate your business in the past and I hope to continue that relationship long into the future.
The studio is healthy, clay is in the bin, and there’s a load in the kiln. I’d better get busy.
Chuck Iker
Iker Bonsai Pottery