​Recently I have been working on organising a "Paint your own handmade Wheel Thrown Mug" workshop. It was an exciting process painting a mug so I thought I would show you the process! Who knows, if you would like to come along to the workshop this blog post might be helpful to you to get you thinking about ways in which you can paint your own mug. However if you an artist/maker or someone just curious dropping by on this page I hope this information can be helpful.

Prepare your Mug!
I created this mug on the potters wheel. The mug itself is made from Stoneware clay which fires to a creamy white colour. The mug is Bisque fired first to 1000c to prepare it for painting!

Use a Pencil to sketch out your design
Firstly before painting, I did a bit of research for inspirational imagery. I was thinking well its coming up to September. Being this time of year in the UK I was thinking about the kind of nature we see. So researched on Google images such blackberry’s, butterfly and a mushroom.

From this imagery I then got to work drawing the main outlines of the form onto the Bisque ware mug. I used a basic pencil to do this. The good thing is that the pencil marks will not show up in the glaze firing. Another good thing about using a pencil is that if you make a mistake you can use a rubber to erase this.

Once we have the main outline of the form we can start applying the colour!

Wow! Now we applied the Glaze! What a transformation! 
Now that we have finished painting the mug we can then apply a clear transparent stoneware glaze.

If you are into glazing I dipped the mug once into the glaze and fired the mug to 1230c.

After all that work we can now see the finished results!

If you found this Inspirational I would defiantly recommend attending our Workshop to try this yourself and take home your unique Mug creation!

Martin will be teaming up with artist Wen-Hsi Harman to run a "Paint You Own Handmade Wheel Thrown Pottery Mug" Workshop. 

Come and paint your very own Handmade Mug. What makes this workshop special is that you get to create your own unique painting on a mug completely handmade, thrown on the potters wheel by the artist Martin that’s yours to keep and treasure!

​What will happen in the Workshop?

• Hand Paint 1 mug using ceramic paints and brushes provided. (Inspiration images will be provided if you need some guidance)
• Once finished I will take the mugs back to my studio to apply a clear glaze and fire in the kiln.
• I will then contact you for the collection.

Who is the Workshop for?

• Whether you’re an adult or child. Anyone can join. If under 12 please come accompanied with an adult. Bring your family along for a creative and fun-filled experience.

What time is the Workshop? How long is it? When does it Start?

• Tuesday 29th September. 2-4pm (2 hours)

Where is the Workshop?

• The Note Warehouse: 71 High St, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4DW

If you would like to book a ticket to attend you can find it here:

There are a number of reasons why you might or might not want to apply for an Open Art Exhibition. In this blog post I am going to try and brake down the Pros and Cons based on my experience. I hope it can help you in some way.

The Pro's?

People interested in your Art Will see your work.
What I can say is that this is helped my artworks to become more recognisable. I noticed when taking my work to exhibitions people will say "I remember your work, I saw it at...." 

You might sell an artwork at the exhibition or after
I remember applying for a open Art call at Salisbury Art Centre in  2022. I submitted 2 ceramic wall sculptures, but only one was selected. I dropped off my wall sculpture at the venue, went to the preview. It was an energetic show with lots of artworks to see. During the show uncertainty and doubt crept in as I did not here any news and thought to myself no one was interested. Then it got to the end of the exhibition. I thought to myself here we go again. However a week or two after the show someone contacted me through my website and said they had saw this ceramic wall sculpture on display and wanted to purchase a similar piece on my website! From this I learned that you never know who might be looking at your artwork.

You can network with people at the preview

• Hand out business cards.
• Talk to potential art collectors show them other examples of your work. Talk to them about why you create your work.
• Share ideas and be inspired by artists, their journey and their work.

Your can evidence the exhibition

• Take pictures of your work in the exhibition. You can put it on your website, social media, place it in email newsletters to send you your contacts. Let people know what is going on and invite people who are interested!
• Yes you can put it on your CV! This could be helpful for future curators or collectors who might like to see what you have been up to.

You Might Win a Prize!

• Some Open Art Exhibitions offer prizes. This can be money, art supplies or residences.  

The Con's

Some Open Art Exhibitions Cost Money to Enter
Applications can come with a fee. As an artist based in the UK on average I spend about £5-22 per application and that is usually just to submit one sculpture or painting. 

Shipping/ Travel/ Packing Costs

• You might need to pay for packaging for your artwork to transport it safely.
• If you apply for an Open Art Exhibition outside of your home country you will need to pay for shipping. Depending on the size and weight of the artwork and were it it shipping to, prices can add up. Not to mention there may be customs charges you might need to pay!
• If the exhibition is in your own country you will need to think if you will send it by post or travel in person to deliver the work.

Its like playing the Lottery
Open Art exhibitions can receive hundreds if not thousands of applications from artist submissions. This is especially true if the Art Exhibition is a global call out! For example the organisers might only select 100 artists out of 1000 artist applications.  That is only 10% of all submissions and imagine if there is more submissions! the odds of being selected can really stack up!


Should You Apply for an Open Art Exhibition? 

​I think its a good idea to think what works for you.

There are artists out there who don't apply for open art competitions. Thats great, you can get your work seen in other ways. You could hire out public space to show your art, place your work in other spaces like coffee shops, libraries, restaurants or other places you think might get your work seen by the rite people.

There are artists like myself who do apply.
I remember when I first stated my art journey I was applying for so many, lets just say it was getting expensive! What I learned was to be more selective about the Open Art Exhibition I was applying for. I started looking at who the judges were and looking at what what style of work they like. That way if I applied I could submit work in line with their potential taste.

Now I am more selective about the Open Art Exhibitions I do apply for. I don't apply to as many as I used to as now I enjoy being more creative in how I get my work seen by creating my own opportunities. However if I find an Open Art Exhibition that interests me I will apply. For me the biggest takeaway from showcasing my work in Open Art Exhibitions has been the opportunity to have my work seen in real life and become more recognised and meet people.

At the end I think us artists are carving out our own paths and seeing what works for us. If you don't try, you don't know.

Were Can I Find Open Art Exhibition Opportunities? 
If you are an artist based in the UK here are some links to useful resources to find opportunities.

• ArtQuest
• CuratorSpace
• AN
• ArtRabbit​

​
Watch the Video  "How to Prepare for an Open Call Art Exhibition" 

If you found this Blog post helpful you are welcome to watch this Video I created bellow:  "How to Prepare for an Open Call Art Exhibition" 

​Its a video I made a wile back were I talk about: Should You Apply? Where to Find the Opportunity? Which one Should I Apply For? Who Can Apply? Application & Fees? What if I am Selected?

Hopefully it can give you more info.

I hope you found this information useful.
​
Welcome to visit this blog again.
I will be keeping this Blog up to date with new (Information About My Art and Artist Resources).

If you like what I am releasing into the world, feel free to follow the journey on Instagram.