Continuing on about galleries, work and charitable donations, I received a cheque from one of my galleries and it included a covering letter.  Here is a quote from the letter:

This is a very refreshing change from what I normally receive.  Mostly what comes in the mail is a cheque and an inventory update.

For many of us in the arts and crafts, emotion is an integral part of our work.  It shapes what we make and who we are.  It is therefore important to me to have a gallery reciprocate by assuring me that what I do is important enough to warrant mention.

Until next time...

The Holiday Treasures show is on now until December 8.  All the rest of the shows are completed and I am now in the final frantic rush towards Christmas.  Its funny this year.  It is still November but Christmas seems like it is just around the corner.

I have a number of commissions going into Christmas and, temporarily, all is in hand.  I have my work in a couple of new venues, namely, The Kingston Glass Studio & Gallery and The Art Gallery of Hamilton Gift Shop.

The show at the Art Gallery of Hamilton went well - I sold a couple of pieces.  I was really impressed with how the work was displayed.  The lighting was fantastic!

I am starting to assemble wood and research for my two solo shows next year.  They are at least ten months away but I am already starting to panic.  I have to put together some 40 pieces, 20 of them with historical documentation and this on top of my regular work.  However, I am really looking forward to these shows, especially History in the Making.

This year I have had a number of people bring me their own wood so that they could have something to evoke the memories of what that wood represents.  To this end, I have made an addition to the website that answers some of the initial questions that arise when going down this road.  Please have a look at the Custom Made page and let me know what you think.  I would be interested in your feedback.

I know that this next year is going to be a busy one but I am still hoping to get some more videos completed and up on the site.  I want to get the stick vase series completed and I have been shooting some raw footage on various tips and techniques that I have been using.

There is something that has been bugging me for sometime and this year it has come to the forefront.  The issue is how I and my fellow crafts people and artists are treated on the one hand and how we treat others on the other.

The artists and crafts people in my area are regularly asked to donate to various causes, charities and events.  We are seduced by free advertising, getting our name out and the inevitable tax receipt.  Our group is extremely generous and we seldom say no.  We are easy marks.  I have a couple of groups to whom I regularly give my work and am happy to do so regardless of any return.  It is the others in my area that wish me to give to them also.

Here is what happens.  I am offered promotion of my website and work on Facebook, a picture on their website, a page in their brochure, a tax receipt, promotion at their event, a pair of tickets to their event, etc.  We enjoy a wonderful correspondence up until I ship the piece.  Then nothing.  I check Facebook - nothing or maybe a passing reference - no web link.  I check the website - nothing.  Months later I receive a tax receipt and nothing else.  I resolve not to get sucked in again.

One group that I had been giving a couple of pairs of wooden earrings to for several years contacted me this past spring for a donation.  I said that I would give them the usual.  They said that they wanted one of my artistic pieces.  This was quite a jump up from a couple of pair of $20 earrings.  I was promised some serious profile at their event, tickets, prominent position on their website and on Facebook and they even offered to come and pick up the piece.  I selected some work that I could consider for this and let them choose the piece that they wanted.  The work had a retail value of $1000.  I put a reserve bid on it for $500.

In the course of events, my wife delivered the piece to their offices.  Several days later, they phoned to see if they could come and pick the piece up.  We explained that it had already been delivered.  The first red flag should have gone up then.  I checked their website and Facebook page - nothing.  I was busy in the studio and the time went by.  Sometime later a friend mentioned that my piece sold for the minimum bid of $500.  I had not been sent tickets to the event as promised.  I have still not received the tax receipt nor any word on how the event went.  Not a thank you, nothing.

This was not the only time this happened this year but it perhaps the most extreme.  I think that groups that want work from us should adhere to a code that respects those who donate.  Here's what I would like to see: promotion, especially a web link, acknowledgement of receipt of the work, a tax receipt sent in a timely manner, a letter of thanks that includes how much the piece sold for and to whom it was sold including contact information where possible and a report on the event; how much was raised, how successful it was, etc.

On the other hand, I am troubled by how we crafts people and artists treat our galleries.  Some in our group think that the galleries are ripping them off by charging a 50% commission (this is the standard - some are higher and some are lower).

First of all, the galleries perform a very valuable service - they sell our work.  They have the trained staff that know their market, clientele, and the work that sells.  They have the location and the biz smarts that many of us don't have.  They allow us to do what we do best - we make things.

Secondly, the galleries market for us.  They advertise and promote their stores and locations on a year round basis.  They take care of this expense for us.  They protect our work and wrap it and ship it across the world.  All we have to do is send them more when they call.

Thirdly, they give us referrals.  They send an interested customer to our studios, perhaps for a commission or for a piece that the gallery doesn't have.

For all of this we begrudge them their 50%.  Some of us sell our work at a lower price in our studio than in the gallery.  We encourage customers to come to us instead of going to the gallery.  What some of us don't realize is that the 50% that the gallery takes is the same 50% that we must use to do our own marketing if we are to sell outside of the gallery.  If we sell at a lower price than the gallery we are short changing ourselves twice - once because we are willing to take less for our time and secondly because the gallery will not continue to carry our work if we undercut them.

When a customer says that they saw our work in a gallery we should send the gallery a finder's fee.  This is usually about 20%.  The gallery has an investment in this customer and needs to be compensated.  Also, if the gallery refers a client to a studio, this is not a freeby.  The artist must take the time to establish with the gallery who is going to do what.  If the studio is going to handle the whole transaction then the gallery should get a finders fee.  If the studio is going to make the piece but the gallery will look after selling and shipping to the customer then the gallery should get its regular commission.

What we need are standard agreements that we can sign with those that want us to donate so that they will respect our wishes.  We could establish this by saying that we will only consider groups that are willing to enter into this agreement with us.

Many of us sign consignment agreements with our galleries.  However some very prestigious galleries have minimal agreements.  It is up to us to develop this kind of agreement where we state in writing that we will work with the galleries in honouring our commitments to each other.

I have had a very good relationship with my galleries over the years.  I have paid the finder's fee when I have been able to determine how the customer found out about me.  I promote my galleries on my website and include all information on them such as directions, maps, open times, addresses, and other contact information.  I have done joint marketing with some of my galleries.  I have been well rewarded for my commitment to my galleries.  They are my sales staff and have done an outstanding job in selling my work.  So much so, that I encourage potential customers to visit a gallery as opposed to coming to the studio.

There, I've said my piece.  Comments are welcome.

How could 7 months go by so quickly?  So much has happened.

Jane Thelwell and I are collaborating on some work.  Please see our website: claywithwood.com.  Our work is being shown at a show called "Medium and Muse: Wood at the Guild Shop in Toronto and will be opening on the 12th of August.  The Opening Reception is on the 15th.  All are welcome to attend.

I will be doing 2 solo shows in 2014, one at the Dufferin County Museum & Archives and the other in Montreal at the Canadian Guild of Crafts.  There is more information on these shows on the Upcoming Events page of this website.

I have just completed a very successful show at the Ojibway Club in Pointe au Baril.  It was interesting in that the show moved from its regular date of the second weekend in August to the last weekend in July.  There were many new faces and the sales varied slightly from previous shows.  The one surprise was that the only dock wood piece I sold was a charger.  Last year I sold 11 chargers and several dock wood bowls.  That was pretty well the difference in sales between last year and this year.  When I got home from the show, the chargers all went to Circle Arts, my gallery in Tobermory, and the dock wood bowls went to the Canadian Guild of Crafts.

My youngest daughter was married in June here at home.  That entailed doing a lot of work on the house and grounds in preparation for the big day.  Lisa and I spent a number of weeks camping out in our house amid the drywall dust, paint cans, rollers and scaffolding.  To Do lists that were perhaps decades old were addressed and crossed off, the deck and cars were power washed and the deck chairs were repaired.  Excess furniture was put in storage so that there would be room for the 80-90 people attending.  Plan B was to hold the wedding in the house if the weather was inclement. 

The weather broke the morning of the wedding and my daughter was married in the Fairy Circle under a bright sunny sky.  (This is where the swing is and both my daughters, in their childhood, spent many an hour swinging and dreaming.)  Did I mention that the swing had to be repaired too?  We had to put in a new cross bar.  Good thing we did.  It was well used that weekend.

Upcoming, there is the imminent show at the Guild Shop, then there is a show with Headwaters Arts (HA).  I will post more on the HA show when I have dates and info.  After that I am submitting some work for jurying at the Art Gallery of Hamilton.  Again, I will post more info on this later.  Finally there is the Holiday Treasures show in late November and early December.  There is info on this on the Upcoming Events page.

Until next time...

It is a busy time at the studio.  I am making Todgham and dockwood bowls.  I have some orders for salad bowls and have to prepare for getting work out to various places for the summer.  Here's what's happening:

The Made of Wood Show (MOWS) has their "All Things Wood" weekend on May 5th and 6th as part of the "Spring Awakening" at the Alton Mill.  MOWS spent the first few years at the Mill and it was good to be back there for the opening on April 21.  I think the show will find a home there for the next few years.  If you haven't seen the Alton Mill recently or would like to take in the events of the Wood Show please click on the words in bold.

I have sent the first pieces to the Canadian Guild of Crafts.  These were "stick" vases and one "stick" bowl.  By the end of May I will have sent them some true Todgham pieces as well as some recycled cedar dockwood bowls.

I have started to work on Part 2 of the video series on making a stick vase.  I hope to have it ready in a couple of weeks - there is a lot going on right now so chances to work on it are spotty.  If there are parts of these videos that are not clear or fully explained, please let me know and I will create some addenda clips, as I have done for Part 1, to clarify those points.

It is coming to the time where I will be sending or taking a body of work to Circle Arts in Tobermory.  This gallery opens on the 24th of May long weekend and is open daily until Canadian Thanksgiving in the fall.  They usually get a cross-section of what I make including chargers, "stick" vases and one or two of my top end pieces.  If you are thinking of driving the Circle Route this summer or in the future, consider dropping by Circle Arts for a visit.  (For more info on taking this trip click here.  This is a good place to start and there are links for additional information on this site.)

This is also the time of year when I start to put together the work that I want to take to the Ojibway Art Show at Pointe au Baril, Ontario.  I have been a part of this show for many years and have enjoyed some real success at it.  It would be hard for me to believe that there would be anyone in the Pointe au Baril area in the summer time who has not heard of or been to this art show, but if you haven't, you really must go.  It is a delightful show with exceptional work by a broad range of artists and crafts people.  On the Friday evening opening, you will be able to meet me as I never miss the kick-off to this show!

Almost two weeks ago, I put two of my top pieces on display at the Orangeville Town Hall.  One of the pieces is A Touch of Imagination.  This piece was a NICHE Award finalist in wood turning for 2011.  The other piece is called A Touch of Elegance.  In 2009 it was selected for the Canadian exhibit at the Cheongju International Craft Biennale in South Korea and in 2010 it was selected for the Cultural Olympiad at the Museum of Vancouver.  It was also selected for display at the G20 Conference and it was a 2010 NICHE Award finalist.

If you are visiting Orangeville or taking in a play at Theatre Orangeville (part of the town hall), please stop to view the art on display there.

Telling you about what is happening around here has been a nice little break but I really must get back to the lathe.

I have added a page that gives my suppliers, their contact information and what I buy from them.  You will find this page in The Studio drop down or you can go directly to it by clicking here.

The Made of Wood Show opens tomorrow - Saturday, April 21, 2012.  The awards will be presented at the Opening at the Alton Mill Arts Centre from 1 to 4pm.  This show is sponsored by The Bartlett Gallery and the Crimson Feather Gallery at the Alton Mill.

There are two shows running concurrently, one is the Made of Wood Juried Show and the other is the Director's Invitation Show and Sale.  I have 6 pieces in the second show.  

In the coming weeks I will be sending a body of work to the Canadian Guild of Crafts in Montreal.  I will be adding their information to my Galleries page and updating various parts of the site to reflect the inventory they will have.