Art Night at the Cottages

Matt's studio is in a gorgeous park; his is one of six artist cottages set up along the river, but they're not close to the road and don't get lots of foot traffic. During Art Fest, we constantly hear, "I've lived here for decades and had no idea these existed!" It doesn't help that most of the cottages had been empty for quite awhile before Matt moved in and started Upriver Ceramics.

So, in an attempt to get the word out, Matt and his fellow artists have started a monthly Art Night where the cottages will stay open late. They invite guest artists to come set up as well. This Tuesday was their first "event." We weren't expecting a huge turnout because this was a new endeavor, but we were happily surprised!

People came in waves throughout the evening to check out the various artists.

Some of the crowd outside Matt's studio.

Steve had a presentation going with some of his bigger pieces; I LOVE the lamps made of pieces of real mangrove roots.

John worked on a painting in full view of our guests.

Around 7:30 I walked over the bridge to pick up tacos for everyone - there's an authentic Mexican restaurant that sells $1 street tacos on Tuesdays, so it's pretty perfect that Art Night is going to be on a Tuesday each month.

Quick side story: When I got to the front of the line to order, the young man did a little double take and then broke out into a huge grin. "I think you were my teacher!" I immediately recognized him - he was my student 7 or 8 years ago, in my first or second year teaching! He gave me a big hug and pointed out his mom, who was working on filling orders. It turns out his family owns the restaurant!

Mm, nothing tastes better than food grilled outside!

Anyway, by the time I got back around 8:30 (taco night was slammed!) the artists were cleaning up. We ate our tacos and then called it a night. I don't usually stay out so late on work nights, but it was worth it.

I'm so excited that this first night was a success! Matt sold a couple pieces, including my favorite, "Forbidden Fruit."

Remember this piece? Well, it went to a good home.

I think this will be a great tradition the artists are starting, and I hope it only continues to grow.

ABK

Art Festival Weekends

Our city (and the neighboring cities) have art festivals a few times a year. They're really fun and draw huge crowds. Artists travel from all over the world to put up tents for the weekend and sell their art. Matt has volunteered with the judges of these events for a few years now, but this is the first year he's shown his work like this.

As a permanent artist at this particular Art Festival location, he has the benefit of opening his studio and selling his work without having to travel.

Matt on the first day of the January Art Festival! This was before we figured out how many pieces to display outside.

There are three art weekends throughout season (in January, February, and March). January's was quite the experience; it was fun to show off Matt's work and sell some pieces. We learned about setting up to draw in customers, selling and wrapping up pieces, appropriate pricing, etc.

We soon learned that displaying 80% of his work outside and having him work on the wheel the entire time is the best way to draw crowds.

February's Art Festival was even better because we had a lot of family come in! My parents drove down and attended with my aunt and uncle, and my sister drove up to stay with us Friday and spent all day Saturday with us. Matt's mom drove down with a friend, too, so we had lots of good support.

The fam!

He's actually a really good teacher and Steph has some natural talent - her bowl turned out nicely!

My birthday is today, so mom and dad brought my gift when they came on Saturday. How pretty is this necklace?!

I took the photos and created the collage in the background; I was surprised by how many people really took the time to look at it and learn about the process of trimming this particular type of bowl.

Another perk of being a permanent artist on location is that Matt can continue to work while the studio is open. This means I do a lot of the talking/selling while he works, but when he works on the wheel he certainly draws crowds, and there's the added benefit that he's not losing any working time while the show is going on.

Matt is barely visible through these little crowds of interested spectators.

I'm looking forward to March's festival. Although it makes the weekend long and a bit exhausting - and the week leading up to it is hectic because Matt is always trying to get one last batch of work done in the kiln - these shows are a fantastic way to get exposure and see all his hard work pay off. I get a little thrill every time someone wants to buy something.

Matt literally pulled two all-nighters the week leading up to the festival just to finish, fire, glaze, and fire again one final batch of work.

It might sound weird, but I really enjoy carefully wrapping up the piece, putting it in a bag, and dropping a business card in. It's like we're running a little boutique; each piece we sell is completely unique and 100% handmade. I just love seeing people appreciate the talent and work that goes into it.

Right now, Matt's working on updating his Etsy shop to show all his new pieces, including some unique necklace pendants I tried on throughout the weekend.

One thing I've learned is not to be personally affronted when someone doesn't like Matt's work. I know that everyone has different tastes and sometimes certain styles just don't speak to you! I've heard people compare his work to Alice in Wonderland and Dr. Seuss, which is definitely accurate for some pieces. If that's not the look they're going for, they won't buy anything, but that doesn't mean they don't appreciate the skill involved, so I've learned to be okay with it!

Actually, that's helped me feel a little more confident in my writing; I've always been nervous to share with people, but now I realize that tastes differ and you can't force someone to like something that's just not them.

Does your city support the arts?
Do you like to collect any kind of art?
PS: It's my birthday today! I have no idea how I'm celebrating haha! But, it's also my mom's birthday, so feel free to wish her a happy birthday in the comments!

ABK