I think like many, this year did not start out with any inkling, for me, of how it would go. By January I was set to be in 3 major, in person shows, one of which was very much out of my comfort zone, another summer at the Peterborough Regional Farmer’s Market, a commission that would be delayed because of said shows and some teaching assistant jobs. Outside of pottery, 3 gigs were booked with one of my groups and at least 2 with the other. Work on my new studio would likely progress more in the summer. By March all this came to a screeching halt.
As my kiln access is currently through the local Guild, I was not able to fire anything until August. My house was stacked full of greenware waiting to be fired.
The commission became delayed because I couldn’t fire, and some motivation in general was lost overall. The summer came and gardens became the more important part of the days, which is normal around here. We had several crops of chicks from our hens and more work got made and stored in strange places.
Then the Guild opened up, began summer camp, started make-up classes for the session that was cancelled in March, and we started to work on getting the shop stock online. Suddenly I was busier than I’d been in months and it took some time to get myself back in the swing of things. In the meantime, I received many requests for commissions, which has continued right up until the end of this year. For that, I am very grateful, and very appreciative of the time my customers are allowing me to finish their pieces.
The Victoria County Studio Tour decided to go ahead with its show and so the last weekend of September and the first weekend of October saw many visitors from all over the area visit our studio (I shared with two other artists) very willing to wear masks, gloves and so happy that we had gone ahead with the plans to run the show. By all accounts it was very successful.
The Guild also decided to run its holiday sale but over 12 days instead of one weekend. This was a first and generally it looks like it was appreciated for its lack of a crowd, our attempt to keep everyone distanced and safe, and the great breadth of excellent work available for purchase.
Despite Covid, I get to end this year with some very grateful thanks to my new and continuing customers.
To all of you who have requested commissions this year that are as yet unfulfilled, you will be receiving an email from me before the end of the year with an update as to the status of your order, and many thanks for your faith in my abilities.
To all my customers who purchased items online without being able to touch the times first, many thanks to you as well. Pottery is a very tactile art and I can understand that what something looks like and what it feels like are completely different and one can ruin the other.
To all those who ventured out to the sales that did happen, thank you for being respectful of the restrictions and for taking the time to stop and talk with the artists present. It was great to get to meet so many of you and talk about one of my favourite topics.
Artists on the whole, have had a difficult year because of Covid. While I’m still glad my other half has a regular day job that did not stop because of the pandemic, I cannot complain for lack of work. I am very thankful to all of you for your support, encouragement and continued requests and questions. I look forward to a much better year in 2021 for all of us.
