Survey says...

A big thank you to all the friends who came by yesterday.  I am feeling the love!  I am especially grateful to my survey takers who helped confirm some of my thoughts about how handmade ceramics is shared and used.  Since I do not get to meet my customers directly very often I wanted to gather some feedback.  I asked about kitchen and dining room decor, how often they used handmade ceramics and kinds of dishware currently used including shape.

Of course many of my friends have an eclectic mix of styles and objects in their home.  It is one way we can create balance and harmony in our surroundings while developing our personal aesthetic.  I apologize to any of you whom may have felt a little stress about not having a specific style or theme.  Although, if you are thinking about redecorating feel free to use one of my pieces to inspire you.   HGTV designers will often latch onto an object for inspiration.  One of my favorite episodes of Trading Spaces was a whole room inspired by an artichoke. My dining room is a spring green which complements almost all of my ceramic designs.

Over half of survey participants use handmade ceramics daily and a third use it for special occasions only. No surprise there given survey demographics.  I will continue to focus on service ware that accents current table ware.  I have both Fiesta ware and simply embossed cream ware.  We use my ceramics interchangeably with both.  And as one survey reminded me, the best thing about buying a handmade mug is the coffee, a wonderful daily ritual to warm your hands and spirit however you prefer your caffeine fix.

Round dishes are certainly the norm.  But a number of people actually eat from dishes with corners.  I wouldn't recommend them for drinking hot liquids but new shapes are certainly stimulating providing a new frame for composing healthy meals full of texture and color.  One day in Target while checking out the trends in tableware made in China I overheard the best conversation about square plates.  Clearly these women were on opposite sides of the fence on this one.  My early dishes were wheel thrown and therefore circular until I started squishing them into softish squares and clover shapes.  Then I started to look at glass ware and plastic mold injected forms which come in a multitude of shapes as well as textured surfaces.  I should add there are a lot of fabulous contemporary potters who also manage to make production work "off wheel."  Stacey Esslinger, in Corning, patterns thin porcelain slabs of clay into bowls, vases and pitchers  as a seamstress would to create a bodice with darts and gussets.  Tossing out fat hunks of clay into silky smooth slabs while wielding a giant lethal rolling pin, more fun for this gal than spinning mud.

That reminds me I would rather be in the studio than clicking keys!