It’s like watching clay dry

What’s it like in the gallery during the summer? I took a little liberty with the usual idioms involving grass growing and paint drying, but you get the idea.

There’s a lot of waiting when you make pottery

After Mark throws a piece of pottery, he has to let it dry until it becomes leather hard. If it’s not dry enough, he can’t trim it correctly. He knows by the feel of the piece if it has dried enough. It takes anywhere from one to four days, depending on the size and thickness of the piece, as well as the humidity in the air.

Keeping busy

On any given day in the studio, you can find pots in various stages of the drying process on the shelves. While the clay is drying, Mark works with pots in other stages of the process, like bisque firing, applying glaze, and kiln firing. Not to mention keeping busy with all the other tasks involved in running a gallery.

There’s a lot of waiting in the summer when you own a gallery in Key West

Just as it’s necessary to wait for clay to dry, it’s necessary to slow down in the summer and wait for clients to return. It gives us a chance to work on new designs, build up some inventory, spruce up the gallery, do some planning, and reinvigorate our marketing game. It’s also a great time to work on custom orders.

Stop by the gallery to say hello, or check out our new designs in the online shop! We promise not to make you watch clay dry while you’re here.