Mudslinger Pottery & Gallery
- Newsletter -
January 2008
Escape your world and play with clay & make stuff

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Hi everyone.  

I hope everyone has had a wonderful Christmas, and or Holiday Season.  Since January 6th was our 2nd anniversary, I felt it was time that I clean the clay off my hands for a few minutes and let you all know how the year went and share a few dreams of how I’d like to see Mudslinger Pottery grow.

A few of my phrases of encouragement are:  “Enjoy the beauty of imperfection,” “Escape your world and play with clay,” and “ Have fun and Love.”  I try to do just that, but it’s easier said than done.

I’d like to share with you a testimonial that a student wrote on a Holiday card: 

          Kevin – I believe one of the best things I did for myself in 2007 was sign up for your pottery class!  It has been so good to have a creative outlet and to be able to take 3 hours a week just for me.  I also feel like in signing up I also got more than just a creative outlet.  You are so sincere and genuine in wanting to help others and in wanting to create a fun, safe space for all to “play.”  So, in a lot of ways, the studio feels like home to me!  I’m truly grateful that I’m being artistic again – that side of me had been lost for a while – but I’m back! J  Thank You for your help and patience and flexibility when it came to all of my “projects.”  You helped me to see my vision through.       – Mary Kujawski

  We had a slow start to our 2nd year with a steady flow of a few students throughout the spring.  We participated in the Afton May Fair and made some nice contacts.  There’s nothing like having a Raku party in the middle of the summer on a 90 degree day.  We had a nice Barbeque and then barbequed the pottery.   Thank goodness for liquid refreshment. 

The studio has been an oasis for me, and yet a source of incredible conflict from my full time job with Comcast.  I had an Art Fair scheduled and new classes starting with the Stillwater school district but, Comcast was requiring 16 hours mandatory overtime in a busy week for Mudslinger Pottery.  I told them that I was no longer the property of Comcast, but a free person.  Ahhh!  Quitting a good paying, full time job, was a rather nerve-racking thing to do.  Yes, I’m a much happier person.  The best thing is that I feel better about being able to give more attention to the students in the studio, and fire the kiln more often J. 

We also participated in an Art Fair in Cannon Falls at Frog Creek Pottery.   It was a small fair but we got some good exposure and gallery representation.   You can now see my figurative vessels or “body pots” in a boutique gallery in Northfield Minnesota.

Along with seeing my own artistic style develop, I really get excited seeing people discover the artistic nature within them coming out.  It’s very satisfying. 

I’m glad that I was able to update my burners to use liquid propane before the holiday season.  The colors of the glazes from the last few firings have been phenomenal. 

Concerning my own art, I’m really proud of the ceramic paintings that I’ve done.  I created a series of sculptural, relief, under-glaze paintings using mostly scenes of Lake Superior.  The comment I’ve heard most is, “WOW – I’ve never seen anything like that before.”  So in a nut-shell, I’m happier.  And most everyone that comes by the studio for a visit or a class is happier, at least while their in the studio.  

I also have a new product; in case anyone was interested, I call it a “Getaway – Field Trip.”  It’s a 1 day class on the weekend for about 4 to 8 people.  Captain Mudslinger helps you and your friends make a pot on the wheel, while you eat snacks and gab with your buddies.  You can find out more about classes and class times by checking my website: http://www.mudslingerpottery.net . 

Hopes For the future:

The future is like an unexplored river that we all must travel.  We never know what is going to be around the next bend of the river.  One can only hope that your vessel is seaworthy, you’re strong enough to paddle the turbulent currents and maintain a positive perspective to enjoy the experience of floating along in the river of time. 

Goodness!  I hope to continue to see the sparkle in peoples’ eyes when they see their work for the first time out of the kiln.  It’s great to see people improve their self worth by expressing their creativity.

Of course I can’t expect to be financially successful without increasing my sales.  There are so many different styles and tastes of what the public likes to buy, compared to what I want to make.  I keep telling people to keep a balance.  Gallery representation is a necessity.  The difficulty is finding the right outlets that can provide that balance of representation and profitability.  

We are going to try to participate in more Art Fairs, and it would be even better to link up with a few designers to expand on my series of Ceramic Paintings by doing kitchen back splashes, bathrooms and fireplaces.  

As we begin our third year, I can’t think of a better time to grow a new small business.  The Twin-Cities has just about everything to offer, the global economy is really something, gas prices are on the rise as is the global mean temperature, diversity is universal and it’s an election year.  That being said, I still dream of that winning Power-Ball lottery ticket to make everything perfect, turning my little world into a utopia.

All our best to everyone,

Happy Everything,
Capt. Mudslinger

Mudslinger Pottery & Gallery
 mudslingerpottery@comcast.net  
Kevin P. O'Hara
3032 St. Croix Trail South
Afton, MN  55001
651-270-3330