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Jeanette Zeis | Episode 469
Jeanette Zeis is a functional and decorative potter, and has worked with clay for over 20 years. Using a variety of techniques, Jeanette continues to explore and evolve her studio pottery practice. Jeanette’s pottery line contains beautiful and original housewares- wonderfully crafted, with an eye for detail, and designed for everyday use while still being perfect for lovely displays. An admirer of vintage housewares, Jeanette’s color palette reflects a love for fiesta ware.
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You said you do a lot of custom orders. How much customizing do you allow your customers to do? Is it just the words or more?
No, it’s pretty standard. You give me a name and a date and that’s it. Occasionally somebody will ask for something a little bit more specific but I don’t have a lot of leeway there, no.
Let me go back to your shows. Do you have a booth that you set up every time?
Yes.
How much effort did you go into designing the booth?
We put a lot of effort into it this year. When I knew I was going to be doing a lot of shows, Ken and I sat down and luckily he is a woodworker and he was able to take my vision and turn it into a booth. It has been an organic thing and it changes from show to show and I feel fortunate that I have him to be able to make those changes. So it is a wood booth that we set up.
Did you put any effort into any lighting for your booth?
No.
How do you go about choosing your shows or finding your shows?
I sat down with a potter and talked to a couple of potters and got some feedback on shows they had done and sort of went from there. So I had a list of a dozen shows that might work for me. I did most of the ones that I got into and as the year filled up I had to take a couple out as I didn’t have the time or the space for them.
How important is the amount of foot traffic in the shows when you are making the decision which shows to join?
It is really important but it is hard to gauge. I was blessed with really good weather all season with all of my shows. As we know here in the Pacific Northwest that is just not always the case. If you are at a week-end show and it rains 2 out of those 3 days, well that’s a real bummer because it does affect things.
When you are picking a show do you try to evaluate the demographic of the actual customer base that is coming through there?
No, I didn’t this year because I just wasn’t sure what I needed in terms of who was going to like my work and purchase my work. I have a little bit better idea of that as I have done these shows I have recognized a little bit more who my demographic is.
What makes a good show from your perspective?
You have to have foot traffic. You have to have what most artists say, easy load in and load out. It makes a big difference. Foot traffic is key. Weather is key for any sort of outdoor show. So I try to pick shows knowing when the dry season would start and when it would sort of end. I didn’t do a lot of shows in that sort of in between period that we get here.
How do you prepare for a show?
It is all about stock. I made a lot of work that I thought would sell, and with each show that would change. In one show I would realize that that I only made three of those and I wasn’t expecting them to sell and then they would sell. Then for the next show in a couple weeks I would try to make a few more and see what would happen. So every show was a little bit different in that way. Which is why it was nice to have a flexible display so I could set up as needed.
What is your favorite creature comfort that you bring to the shows for yourself?
I don’t even know if I have one. I just got really efficient at them and it was all about just getting home at the end of it, taking a shower, and getting into bed. That is what kept me moving forward.
Things to Read
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
Contact:
Instagram: @jeanettezeis