Hollowing large pieces is kinda like mowing the yard: If all you think about is each blade of grass, you're in trouble. With the recent posts on "going pro" and "selling your work", I've been pondering value (price for the more pragmatic amongst us) and have solidified a few thoughts:
- We all begin making collectibles - our friends, family, neighbors assign value because it's a piece of the maker whom they know and love. Who on this forum has not created a genuine delight with each gift. And who has not sold a piece at a craft fair and not seen that same delight?
- Pieces in galleries or on sites like Etsy are, by definition, Stand-Alone - while with marketing and promotion the maker may be an element in the value, success depends on the piece itself: the originality, the design, the finish, the wood selection - all those attributes that appeal to the non-craft and non-woodturning population. Also, we wooodturners find ourselves competing with other disciplines - can't tell you how many times my work lost out to an art-glass piece that "better fit the space"
- Very few of us are elevated to turning COLLECTIBLES (caps and bold intentional) - well known authors and demonstrators get premium prices - names like Moulthrop get the big bucks. What might the auction price be for Andy Warhol's "Deeply Superficial Little Bowl"?
