Today we’d like to introduce you to Sally Weimer.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Sally. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My story with pottery started in a high school ceramics class in 1977. I honestly don’t remember any details about it, other than I liked working with clay! I got married in 1985, helped my husband start a commercial photography business, and had two children. We lived in Santa Maria, CA for about 15 years, running our business and raising our children. in 2006 we moved to Tennessee to be near our clients and make a major lifestyle change. However, in 2008, tragedy hit our family and turned our life upside down! Our 12-year-old son, Zach, died after a tragic zip line accident! I honestly did not think I could survive the pain and loss! However, my faith, family and friends gave me the strength to survive! We spent several years traveling the world trying to help others, while desperately seeking healing and meaning in our own lives.
Fast forward forty years. . . I decided to try pottery again. We moved back to California, to be near our daughter, who had gotten married and had a baby. I took a private lesson to make sure I still enjoyed it and I did! I bought everything I needed to set up a small in-home studio . . . literally in the front room of our house! Boy did I ever make a mess!
It only took me about six months of practicing, experimenting, watching YouTube videos, reading, and practicing some more to realize that I was actual good at this! Good enough to make it more than a hobby! You have to understand that I never considered myself an artist . . . I can’t paint or draw or do anything else that I would call “artistic,” However, working with clay was totally different. It was messy and fun!
In 2018, we moved to Fallbrook, to be even closer to our daughter, son-in-law and now two grandchildren, and to be able to have some land with space for workshops for both of us. (My husband, Shawn, wanted to pursue his dream of being a luthier, building beautiful, handmade, custom acoustic guitars)
We decided to start a business, Timber, Love & Clay, combining our two passions – wood and pottery. My original idea with my pottery was to sell every piece of pottery with something made out of wood. I asked Shawn to make wood stands for my vases and planters and wood trays for my mugs. I really thought that the combination of wood and clay would be a unique niche.
About a year after we moved in, we decided we were ready for our first show. We shared a booth at “Art in the Village,” in Carlsbad and were amazed at how many people loved my pottery and Shawn’s guitars. We attended about four more shows in 2019 and were constantly encouraged by the response to our art! We also quickly found out that customers were not too interested in my idea of combining the wood and pottery. They loved my pottery on its own, and just didn’t jump on board with the original concept. Shawn actually didn’t mind at all since he wanted to focus all of his time and energy on building guitars, not making wood stands and trays for my pottery!
I decided early on that I wanted to try to reflect the colors and beauty of nature. I knew I wanted to create the look of the ocean and sunsets. It took me a few years to decide on the 12 lines that I currently sell. I have chosen most of the names for each line to represent the place that inspired me to create that particular look. These may definitely change in the future, but for now they are: La Jolla, Moonlight Beach, So Cal Sunset, Moonstone Beach, Big Sur, Monterey Bay, Carlsbad Flower Fields, Blue Iris, Fallbrook, Lake Arrowhead, Channel Islands, At the shows, I display my pieces organized by each collection, with a sign in front showing the name. Customers have complimented this idea over and over again at each show!
The most popular collection seemed to be “La Jolla,” which has become my signature line. It took me over a year of experimenting to find just the right glaze combinations to create the bright, aquamarine look of the ocean waves crashing on a sandy shore. I loved watching new customers pick up one of my pieces and say, “Hey, it looks just like the ocean!”
Although all of my collections do well, it is becoming more and more obvious that the ocean theme pottery is a favorite! Thankfully, I have at least five lines that are all inspired by the ocean! I am completely open to the idea that someday I may only create ocean pottery. But for now, I absolutely love making vases, bowls, planters and mugs that reflect the beauty of sunsets, flowers, and mountains, in addition to the ocean!
Thanks to Covid 19, all of our shows this year have been cancelled, so I have been listing most of my pottery on Etsy. Thankfully, I have been able to grow my online business, although I really miss meeting people in person at the shows and selling to local customers!
Lately I have added a new product to my pottery – Nature Inspired Urns! Several customers had suggested that I consider making urns because they love my glazes so much. So, I started making small ones, for shared ashes or pets. In the past few months, I have had people from all over the country purchasing my ready to ship urns or ordering custom, made to order urns. I have received orders lately for larger urns (capacity of 150 cubic inches), which are very difficult to throw on the wheel, but I have enjoyed the challenge and hope to continue to make them larger in the future.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Relearning the art of throwing on the wheel was a huge challenge for me! However, since I had the luxury of being able to work every day if I wanted, the hundreds of hours I spent practicing quickly paid off! Of course, there were many days of frustration when I couldn’t master a certain skill or technique. There were nights when I would lie awake wondering if I had possibly made a mistake programing the kiln. There were mornings when I excitedly opened the kiln only to find pieces had fallen over and stuck to each other.
Learning how to choose the right glazes was extremely difficult. There are thousands of colors to choose from and many different brands and types of glazes. Over the first few years I spent hundreds of dollars in glazes trying to find just the right ones to create the looks I had in my mind. I’m actually amazed that I was able to narrow the choices down to what I use now! Even after I decided on certain glazes, I still had to determine how many coats of glaze to use, how exactly to layer them on top of each other, what temperature to fire the pieces at, etc.
The variables involved in pottery are endless. You have to decide what type of clay to use (there are hundreds), what glazes and what firing schedule to use. A few degrees hotter or cooler can affect the final look of the glazed piece. Taking notes is extremely helpful to be able to repeat similar looks. However, since I’m not the most organized, detailed or precise person, I have to admit that I often skip this very important step. Which is extremely frustrating when I create something absolutely gorgeous and realize I have no idea what order the glazes were applied, how many coats, etc.
We’d love to hear more about the business.
I specialize in one-of-a-kind. wheel thrown; nature inspired pottery. Many professional potters seem to choose just a few specific glaze combinations for all of their work. Not me! I get bored easily so I love variety!
I really try to reflect the colors and beauty of nature in my creations. So, my colors range from ocean blue to sunset orange to avocado green! When people walk up to my booth, or shop on-line, they will see bright and colorful pottery that makes them think of flowers, mountains, lakes, trees, beaches, ocean waves, sunsets, and, my latest an ocean sunset!
I enjoy creating one piece at a time and like to think of each one as unique piece of art! Sometimes, which I get a custom order for a set of bowls or mugs, I have to do what I call assembly line work. I honestly don’t enjoy trying to make several pieces look that same, but I know that is what some customers want.
One of my other specialties is how I glaze. Although it takes many hours longer to do, I hand brush all of my glaze. Many other potters dip their pieces into a container of glaze. That would definitely be easier and faster, but I really enjoy the artistic process of actually brushing on each of the many coats of glazes that go on each piece!
Lastly, I think I am most proud of my customer service! I love meeting people and am very personable in all of my correspondence. I have actually become good friends with at least fifteen of my Etsy customers!
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I believe that perseverance is one of the most important characteristics that is contributing to my success. There were many times when I felt like giving up, since starting a new business at the age of 55 can be tiring and challenging. I’m really happy I didn’t quit, because I really love creating beautiful pottery and sharing it with others!
I also think that friendliness and genuine care for my customers has been incredibly important in my success. I have several Etsy customers who keep coming back to my shop to either collect more pieces of my ceramic art for their home, or to give as gifts!
Pricing:
- My prices on Etsy include “free shipping,” which means I have to add another $10-20 onto the price of each piece, depending on the size and weight.
- My prices range from $40 – $150 for a single piece. Urns range in price from $65 – $250.
- I would be happy to offer a 15% discount for local pick up orders! Just contact me and let me know what you are interested in!
Contact Info:
- Website: timberloveandclay.com
- Phone: 7609787044
- Email: info@timberloveandclay.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timberloveandclay
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timberloveandclay
- Other: etsy.com/shop/timberloveandclay
Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
