Hope everyone is having a great summer! This weekend I’m showing pots in Duluth, MN for Art in Bayfront Park. If you’re in the area, come see my newest Cosmic Mugs! Can’t make it? Be sure to check out Facebook or Instagram as I’ll be posting gorgeous photos of the mugs outdoors all weekend- these mugs actually change color in the sun!
In the coming months, I will have a HUGE selection of Cosmic Mugs available at discounted prices. I also plan to run a few free giveaways…so be sure to stay tuned to your email for updates! Part of this upcoming project involves this new video, which shows the process of how the mugs are made on the pottery wheel. Enjoy!
Hope everyone is having a great summer! To help spark interest in my newest artwork, I’m giving away one “Cosmic Mug” each month, totally free. You’re reading this…so you’re probably on my mailing list and automatically entered in the random giveaway! (If not, signup here). If you’re the lucky winner, you’ll receive an e-mail asking for your address so we can send a pot at absolutely no cost to you. And this month’s winner is…drumroll, please…
Subscriber #436: m********@aol.com! CONGRATULATIONS! Thanks to everyone else who signed up!
While these mugs are almost entirely sold out in my online store, I’m currently working on a new body of artwork. A whole bunch of cosmic mugs will be available in the coming months at a discounted price. Please watch for more of these e-mails to find out when you can get a great deal on my newest artwork.
Be sure to check out Instagram for the freshest pottery updates:
Join us this December for my fourth annual Holiday Pottery Show/Sale in my hometown of Cedar Rapids, IA. This year’s show takes place at Brewhemia coffee shop, also featuring wine tastings by 1st Avenue Wine House Thursday and Friday evenings from 7pm-11pm both nights. Hope to see you there!
Can’t make the show?
Check out my newest pottery, available in my online store Monday at noon!
This is the fifth post in a series entitled, “A Potter’s Journey” for American Craft Council’s website. This post tells the story of launching my pottery business venture immediately after college graduation, as well as the trials and tribulations that I overcame during the first 3 years of business:
With the winter-threatening winds howling outside, can you believe this sunny photo was taken less than two weeks ago? On Sunday, September 29th, the weather was a summery 80 degrees for the Millstream Arts Festival. Sixty-four artists sweated it out on the streets of St. Joseph, bringing in sales not only for themselves, but also for local businesses.
Bold new signage at the Local Blend.
Joel’s unique symbiotic partnership with the Local Blend continues to cultivate this relationship between artist and business year-round. This was Joel’s fourth year participating in Millstream and his second year throwing pots in front of the Local Blend. This location and his kick-powered wheel have consistently shown to bring in more sales. If you weren’t looking closely as you strolled down Minnesota Street, you may have missed him because of the crowd that gathered to watch pots being made!
No pressure, Joel.
Many of you may have heard about (and maybe entered!) Joel’s recent Shark Tank Pottery Giveaway. We selected the winners the day after Millstream, and gave those who stopped by the booth one last reminder to enter.
Thanks again to all who took the time to enter!
As fun as this contest was, as much as Joel wants to bring his wheel to national TV – the local community remains paramount to his business model and poignant to him as an artist. This is where his pottery began. The local community is where Joel earns his livelihood, giving him the stability to pursue his bigger dreams and schemes.
The finicky process and the final product.
Joel participates in 3 weekly farmers’ markets in Sartell, St. Cloud, and St. Joseph, Minnesota. These farmers’ markets, along with art festivals such as Millstream and Art in Bayfront Park in Duluth, Minnesota, cultivate the local emphasis essential to Joel’s artistic philosophy. Here, customers can handle the pottery, watch it being made, and get to know the artist.
Throwing pots in Duluth at Art in Bayfront Park.
Then, when someone takes home a mug, its mysteries become more accessible and appreciated. That spiral in the clay, those finger marks in the glaze, they now have memory and meaning in them.
Blue pots, blue skies.Make pots while the sun shines!
