Show and Sell By Ann Ruel

With the Christmas sales and festival season fast approaching,
here are some timely tips on displaying and selling your work.

A. Designing the Exhibit

The application has been filled out and
mailed. Now, you are officially committed to
the upcoming pottery exhibit. Whether the
goal of your show is strictly to display or to sell,
you have the responsibility to the show and to
the other participating artists to make your
display professional. This attention to detail
will determine your reputation as an artist,
the reception of your work, and the ultimate
success of the overall show. Remember that a
commitment to a show means respecting the
other artists who have also made the same
commitment. If your display looks good, they
look good and the show will be well-received.

Different styles of work demand diverse
staging, but there do seem to be basic
conventions each of us adhere to when
searching for just the right look. These
conventions can be traced back to the formal
Elements of Art and Design with the emphasis
on keeping the pottery the top priority.

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1. Line

The human brain works to scan the eye’s
horizon line, quickly forming an implied line
as it examines item after item. When that
line is essentially flat, the brain perceives it
to be boring. When the horizon fluctuates to
different heights or levels, the brain becomes
challenged and engaged. Look at the picture
in Fig. A. When a group of pieces relatively
the same size are arranged together on a
tabletop even if there is a slight difference in
height and grouping, they produce a static line
which the viewer more than likely perceives as
uninteresting. In Fig. B, when the same pieces
are arranged at angles and varying heights,
the line becomes much more engaging and

attractive to the brain.

2. Space

Space, is also important for that dynamic
line. A successful use of space can make the
difference between an overcrowded exhibit
versus one that allows each piece to shine.
Each piece of your pottery is extraordinary.
But, with improper spacing, the unique
quality of each piece gets lost. Your exhibit
becomes a sea of forgettable pottery. Instead,
carefully orchestrate resting places for the
viewer's eyes to be able to stop and focus by
creating open spaces on the table. To do this,
you may need to make a choice to store some
of the pottery until later in the show in order
to create a pleasing arrangement that shows
off your hard work. In doing so, you form a
showcase for the pieces left on the table. Not
only that, but as the show progresses and you
reveal stored pieces, you reinvent your display
and viewers will want to come back for a
second look.

Figure C.

Figure A.

Figure B.

3. Pattern

The human brain also likes patterns. For
instance, if you create functional pottery of
work in sets, arrange each set as a grouping on
the table. When arranged together, each set
reads as one positive space. By leaving open
negative spaces around each grouping, the
display becomes attractive, interesting, and

vibrant. (Fig. C)

4. Colour

Colour can make or break a dramatic
assemblage. Therefore choosing the correct
colour for display materials will create an
arrangement of pottery which “pops.” When
you only have a limited space in which to
display, it is best to also limit your background
colour. Pick one neutral colour which
compliments and highlights your pieces. It is
the pottery you want the viewer to notice and
remember, not the beautiful hand dyed scarf

that your vase was sitting on. (See Figs. A, B

and C).

5. Keep Pottery at the Centre of Attention

It seems that there are always several points of
contention that crop up between potters when
setting up displays at almost every show. One
hot topic is whether or not other items should

Continued on Page 6,
Centre of Attention

Potters Guild of BC Newsletter : October 2009

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