THEN, as if I wasn't tired enough, I went and loaded a bisque load in the kiln. So I'll have 9 or 10 new kusamonos to finish Saturday, a couple of the starfish plaques with the new starfish on them, and a couple other odds n ends.
Spent 5 hours mucking out the koi pond, it really wasn't THAT bad, but typical spring algae bloom means it was GREEN. Everything is scrubbed, 3/4 water changed to get rid of the scrubbed off gunk and a winter's worth of decomposing fishpoop, and all the plants are fertilized. The pond is close to 4 ft deep, so we were shuffling around carefully to keep from squashing a fish (there are 2 BIG koi over a foot long, 5 or 6 koi in the 6 to 8 inch range, and probably 100 or so feeder goldfish all grown to about 5 or 6 inches, so LOTS of fish!) and I had to rescue one of the big koi who kept trying to swim up into a shallow spot. Silly fish! Water got replaced, filters all flushed (in the draining process) and the right stuff added to dechlorinate the water. I also tossed in some stuff to make the gunk glom together so I'll have to probably clean the pre-filters a couple times a day for the next few days.
THEN, as if I wasn't tired enough, I went and loaded a bisque load in the kiln. So I'll have 9 or 10 new kusamonos to finish Saturday, a couple of the starfish plaques with the new starfish on them, and a couple other odds n ends.
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So here it is! This is a rather blurry version of my logo stamp, my 'Whistling Fish' along with an identifier code. Each pot gets a code, most get a stamp. The very few that don't get a stamp (usually because there isn't enough bottom space for the stamp!) have my initials (MjC) signed on the bottom with the code. The code is simply the month made, the year made, then the number of the pot. Every month starts at 01, and goes to ??? so its easy for me to look up the pot and tell what clay it was made from, what glaze or other finish is on it, and any special details about the pot that I think should be recorded. (Like, fired twice because the first time was ugly!) Here's the contents of my current 'To List' box... well, PART of it anyway! These little kusamonos, plus I've got 2-3 bigger scoops, a round bonsai in a cream glaze, and a couple orchid pots. The whole 'listing' process is rather involved, I first have to finish the product (that can be weeks in the works!) then I have to set up my photo area- I have lights that hang about eye level over my router table that have to be rehung every time, not TOO bad but definitely a step. To do the actual photographing, I lay a sheet of poster board in place, set up the camera, and take 6 to 10 shots to make sure I get usable shots of all views. Then I have to weigh and measure each piece, record it in a notebook along with an identifier code for the piece. After that the piece gets wrapped and put away, and I record which box its in so I don't have to play hide and seek every time one is ordered! THEN I move on to the next piece. You can see my photo set up a few posts down (see 02/20/2013) Once I can get out of the shop and back to the computer, transfer the photos and start editing. Each item's photos get sorted, bad shots get tossed, then I start looking for what works. I usually end up combining a couple shots - sometimes its end views that don't really SELL the item but they do add information for someone who's interested, sometimes its the top and bottom views, or a shot that's lit with a candle or has a plant in it along with a shot of just the item. Next I sort through and find the rest of the shots I'll use. Each of them has to be cropped, the light balance usually has to be tweaked (I need brighter lights in my obnoxious light fixtures, but that will come!) Finally I pick the 'money shot' that will be the first shot people see. THEN comes the actual listing process. Often I copy an old listing and change the details for the new item, but if I have to start from scratch I have to fill in a page worth of stuff telling who made it, when, and what it is, then come up with an original title (not so easy when you have 4 or 5 brown bonsai pots to list, all different!) and upload the photos. The main body of the listing is always challenging, a basic description including size, shape, color, and any special details, then something on the process of making it and what it can be used for. A link to other similar items, a bit of info on shipping and finally the identifier code for the piece. Sometimes I add a bit more, sometimes less, but each item really needs its own unique description to go with its own unique title, so it will register with the search engines as a unique item, not a duplicate of something else. Down the page, I have to add 'tags' to help with the search engines finding the piece and they have to match phrases in title and description. Oh joy. FINALLY, its time to figure out shipping. Here I take the weight for the item, add the weight for what size box I figure it will ship in, then estimate (using the USPS shipping calculator) how much it'll cost. I add in a bit for packaging - hey, a new box costs between $1 and $4, bubble wrap is $.20 or so a sheet, and peanuts... don't get me going on them! Free-recycled is wonderful, but if I have to buy them, peanuts run about $5 per square foot. So a 12 inch by 12 inch by 8 inch box has $2.50 worth of peanuts and that's all buying in bulk from U-line! So, $2 box, plus $1 in bubbles, and $2.00 in peanuts, thats still $5 before the box hits the post office. The bit I add to my shipping charges is usually only $1 to $2, because I DO recycle. Anyway, I plug in the box size and weight and different destinations and develop an estimate for shipping and plug THAT into the listing. THEN I double check it all, click 'publish' and the listing shows up on Etsy! AND This is one of them! I managed to get 3 little shohin slabs (or large kusamonos!) and 5 scoop-ish kusamonos built earlier this week, and yesterday I got a couple 6 to 8 inch scoops and an 8inch round bonsai pot glazed and fired, but I've actually SOLD almost that much this week, and I'd LIKE to have something to put up and replace them! But, I've been working, and house sitting, and trying to get my yard under control so I haven't had a chance to get photos of the half-dozen pots sitting in the shop OR anything else built!
I can see spring is going to be crazy season in the business! :) THEN... sometimes it pays to actually go poke in the 'to do' box while boxing up an order... I've got another 8 to 10 little kusamonos to photograph and list! So I'm not as far behind as I was starting to think! This is one of the little kusamonos from that old batch, very simple, but a lot of fun. These are textured slabs wrapped around a ball, then I gave this one a thin white wash of terra sig, and a bit of iron oxide. The white gives it almost an opalescent look, then the iron oxide darkens the edges and pops the contrast a bit. FUN! It measures about 2 1/2 inches across and 2 inches tall. This is that custom scoop I've been working on, completed. It measures about 11 inches long, 4 inches tall, and 6 inches wide. A tan clay, with iron oxide, then its got ash glaze all over and a green over the edges. I'm happy with how this one came out! This one is from a batch I made a few years back, I found these recently going through old boxes! Ooops! This one is very nice, straight sides and the glaze is interesting with the yellow and frosted yellow. Click on it to see the listing on Etsy, it has a bunch more views. Measurements 10 3/4 inches (275mm) by 8 3/8 inches (212mm) wide by 3 1/8 inches (80mm) high (exterior) Another one from that batch, this one is Fern Mist (I THINK, something close to that if its not) and is sort of matte olive green and glossy darker green in some areas. It measures 8 3/8 inch (215mm) long and 6 inches (153mm) wide by 2 1/8 inch (52mm) tall (outside dimensions.) Well, there's a bunch of little kusamonos still out there to get photos of, plus a few other ovals that I've posted to Etsy including another green one with drippies on one side and the ends, then very similar to the one above on the other side. Also a mottled brown one, and a cream one that I still need to upload. Also 3 or 4 triangles! Last time I had these boxes out was at the Bonsai Club Show a few years back, oops!~
I'm also in the process of uploading some more orchid pots, and debating on putting up a starfish plaque. I am working on some changes in the styling on the starfish, so the one I built today will be very different. The starfish have more texture and should be even more realistic than the ones to date. Woops, forgot to put some pictures up before posting the last, but here's a couple of new things! Turns out I'm REALLY behind in my photography, I knew I had a box from this load, and a couple boxes of stuff that have been out in the shop for a couple years, (bonsai pots of several types from when I was wholesaling to a bonsai shop!) but I have another box from the LAST load I ran through the kiln! No wonder I couldn't figure out why I didn't have as many Bonsai Pots up on Etsy as I thought I should!
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Maryjane Carlson
Clay has always fascinated me, its many colors and textures, the shapes you can create using it, even the feel of it squishing in my hand. Even after years of playing in the mud I find myself exploring new ideas and I hope my work shows this. Archives
August 2017
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