Hello Friends! Periodically I create a post that is an overview of what's happening in my studio. Some weeks we work on one thing, others we work on 50 things. Last week and this week have been of the "50 things" variety and have had an intensity of demands that has found me trying to catch my breath by 11am most mornings!
samples for CLOUD PORCELAIN our production tile like with Ann Sacks Tile & Stone, and a few fireproof Firebox Tiles ready to be packed up
TONS OF SAMPLES!
In theory samples are great. Potential customers have to see what they're about to spend a few thousand dollars on, of course!! But they are a total pain in the butt to make, they have to be sent immediately, they take tons of time (30 minutes each)and are like dirty dishes, they just keep on coming. I'm really pleased that with my new Firebox website, I set up a better system - there are finite choices, the customer has to pay for them and we have up to 2 weeks to make them.
As a matter of course I include snippets of information about the financial end of being an artist in my posts because it's a huge aspect of the field that very few people know much about. The reality is that, like in any business it's an essential part of being an artist and, also if you're a buyer of anything handmade, it's useful to know what goes into it!
From a financial perspective samples are a necessary evil. About 25% wind up as orders and cost $25-$45 each. This cost considers time for the communication(s), gathering materials, rolling slabs, cutting, glazing, firing the tile(s), sanding them, creating a label for each along with an enclosed letter, creating a shipping label, bringing to fed ex, and then invoicing for the samples. Within my studio, I've wrapped samples into "overhead costs" but I've never liked making them!
WHISPER GALLERY I
I completed my art piece for 
SUBLET DUTIES
Because my rent has more than doubled in the past few years, I sublet as much of my space as possible to other artists and this week I moved 2 out, cleaned up and am getting ready to move 2 in. I'm planning on moving in the middle of this year and shedding landlord duties will be a huge relief for me. We also had a new furnace put in this week which is just one of those things that eats up 15 minutes here and there.
I have a collection of tile I sell through the international company Ann Sacks (owned by Kohler), and we're inundated with orders these days. This is a good thing for business of course! These tiles are made from cast and pigmented porcelain slip.
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above is our casting area with measured pigment absorbing into buckets of porcelain slip
And here are some of these CLOUD tiles finished and put together before shipping. This Landscape design is very painterly featuring half raw and half pigmented tile and the line between in organic taking on the feeling of a thick brush stroke or a horizon line:
You may have seen one of my posts about this project since it's a biggie and has been going on a few months. I'm continuing to cut tile for this bit by bit. The cutting will take me into April I believe.
And lastly, you may remember seeing the Dogwood MosaicI made in December and January. This piece has now been grouted and I look forward to seeing photos of it in place at the couple's home! Here is the installer's instagram post which took me weeks to notice despite the tags because I'm too busy on Steemit ;-)!
This piece is 17" tall and was custom made for couple to be a symbol of their love for each other and nature. If you're interested in the economics behind this piece, I wrote a post about it: https://steemit.com/money/@natureofbeing/the-economics-of-a-mosaic-commission
Big thanks to you for supporting my blog, by doing so you enable my art-making!