Category: 2014

It is hard to understand the amount of discipline to both sell and produce your art in a commercial surroundings and whether the constant flip-flop between sales and client following can inhibit the concentration levels in your work. I am finding that in my first month of residency in a quieter studio , something that I now miss, it was easier to create and concentrate on my creative process and production of my work, in the second month of my residency, in a studio with more foot traffic and more sales I suffer with having to have a more disciplined level of concentration when working on my creative production. With a series of continuous interruptions stop and go btw customer’s questions and feeling like a monkey in a circus and perform for the visiting audience. stricter discipline in concentration has helped me to overcome when to focus and when to stop and follow sales. I think that this a problem of many artists as the come to grips with selling our work in a work/sell environment. multi-tasking has become the norm for many creative people who work in this style of environment and even though it is a challenge and quite different to a space with less foot traffic, it is important to discipline one self to pick and choose when to turn on or off the creative juices, in order to make a sale. The decision depends on the individual.  There are times to close your studio door to deter you from distractions and customers who are really determined and attracted to your work will enter your space nonetheless. this has been my experience so far during my second month of my residency. Creative focus is something that has to be learned slowly, learning to zone out all around you, in order to concentrate on your creative process and learn to zone in when necessary. Eventually, you will learn that there are various grade of concentration and not only one level.  Those who like to observe the artist at work will understand the nature of your work and will either observe and admire  or admire then buy…..

Needless to say, the picture above shows the t-shirt created at the hands-on workshop that the visiting artists at the torpedo factory auto-produced . After a leansubmission of images, the image chosen was the one that i had designed. a rat called the VAP RAT with a bit of ironic humor for an image that represented the visiting artists in the building. this project was brainstormed to create awareness and visibility for the visiting artists in the art center as they worked and the hands-on process of working together to produce a piece of wearable creativity as a keepsake of our residency at the torpedo factory art center. many artists may disagree about making and selling printable art or reproductions of their work. It is not for everyone but it is a vital marketing tool that can be used to show your work on the street , in the studio or at the office. like it or not, we would all prefer to sell our hand made creations but sometimes we need to fill a market request of affordable art for sale with certain consumer groups in mind especially in the summer season. Though this tee shirt was produced with the help of the other artists for the artists. The attention drawn to the hands–on event in it self drew interest of the public and further interest in the t-shirt and asked if it was available for purchase. with the help of one of the fellow artists, steve prince ( http://www.onefishstudio.com ) we are developing a piece of saleable art in limited addition of t-shirts to answer the requests for the shirts by clients and the public.

Last week a customer sent me a picture of my ceramics in her new home and I would like to share it with all of you. Thank you charlotte, and your lovely family for patronizing an artist while on your vacation in the united states. this is a segment from my old blog d-drawn.com blog which you will be accustomed to; posting pictures of my work from my clients and followers as they are sent to me. To see how my ceramic creations are placed in homes around the world and how they are used in their daily lives. I think that it is increasingly important to be able to understand how your pieces are placed and cherished in different environments. Those who can understand your aesthetic and creative thoughts also, how they are placed and collected. It gives me pleasure that my pieces are set among the MCM furniture and how they are mixed with the other pieces of artwork in a home. Understanding the way people see your work in their homes is a way of sharing a common need . A similar vision for your artwork in the homes of others. many might use them daily as a teacup or dish for their daily consumption of food . Yet, others may display them as a trophy of sorts among the eclectic mixes of handmade artisan creations as food for thought and inspiration of a certain place, voyage or remnants of the past. We are all collectors of keepsakes and these pictures are to share with you to ask you: where do you see the things that you create?

It has been sometime since my last blog entry at the end of last year.  My focus was on a couple of projects and a competition for a visiting artist programs…. If all goes well with the jury I might have some good news to share in the not too distant future. After the holiday sales and season, I needed a break to to the usual ceramic process and pointed myself towards another creative direction: illustration. it began as an illustrated series of sketches called” drawings in motion” drawings done while using public transport like the bus or metro….. Logging the mileage from start to finish of each drawing as to time to compose a drawing by the distance travelled. It is an interesting exercise in control where you can note the lack to a tight illustration due to a sudden movement or motion that is incontrollable…. The illustrated series is dedicated to a series of steampunk animals in battle gear with hidden meanings nestled between the fine lines of ink.

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(Above) You can see some single sketches of the series which is still a work in progress. Just a glimpse to give you an idea of my creative process. from these sketches I will re-elaborate to transform them onto a new series of decorative ceramics in some manner. Right now I am not sure how the illustrations will effect the shapes or forms when painted on ceramics but I have some ideas which i am still toying around with. I’ll keep you all posted as soon as things evolve……..