As Seen On: The Cover of Better Homes and Gardens
September is always an exciting time of year in the studio as production really kicks into gear for the holidays. Unlike pre-holiday production in July and August which feels steadily paced, and nearly leisurely, by September in the studio there is an undeniable, palpable presence of impending production and retail madness. It takes a considerable amount of planning, strategizing, and my new favorite word because it is so incredibly accurate-- choreographing to make it all work. I'm still at the point with my growing business that I need to intentionally and cautiously make decisions about where to put the limited time and limited resources to produce the greatest possible impact. I'm sure in some way those considerations will always be a part of what I do, as they're an important part of business, or at least an important part of any growing, healthy business, but I can already feel a little less constraint this year as we approach the holidays compared to last year. And that feels amazing beyond words.
This past week I purchased a new heavy duty, production-level slab roller table which will make a tremendous impact on production, wholesale availability, and inventory here in the Suite One Studio shop. A slab roller if you're not familiar is a steel based table with a large wagon-wheel crank that controls two rollers through which clay is rolled and flattened. I've been hand rolling each and every dessert plate, platter, and tray with a $4 wooden rolling pin from Ikea for years... so this is obviously a MAJOR upgrade. Like legit professional, guys. There is no decrease in product quality, in fact there are several advantages to using a slab roller which will produce very strong, durable, and consistent work, ideal for tableware. Each slab piece will still be cut, shaped, altered, and textured by hand, but the flattening of the slab will be done with a hand-cranked roller instead of a little kitchen rolling pin. I'm enormously excited to get the table assembled and to begin using this new equipment!
To match my excitement of the new studio equipment I'm proud to share some very happy news-- I have two porcelain pieces featured on the September 2014 cover of Better Homes and Gardens! This was a total surprise and I couldn't be more thrilled to share the news! It's an oddly satisfying feeling to see my pottery staring back at me from the little newsstands at my local grocery store. The next time you're out take a look for this cover where you'll see a Burlap Platter in Navy, and a custom made Pour Bowl in Rust. A very, very big thank you to Eddie Ross for his continued support of my work! It is an unparalleled pleasure to work with such a talent! Be sure to pick up a copy while it's on newsstands for the next few weeks, and thank you all for the incredible support and encouragement! I truly couldn't do this without you. Thank you!