Big Possibility

Christyn Mattson · Post by **Christyn Mattson** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 12:02 am

Hi, all! Remember me? I've just opened my new retail warm glass studio. Had my Grand Opening last week and it was lukewarm.
Anyway, I'm writing because I had an interior designer approach me today for doing commissioned work for some of the windows in the city's newest and largest convention center. It will be a facility that can accomodate up to 6000 people at once. In addition, a new resturant and hotel are being built right beside it. The designer saw my ad in the paper and is very intrigued with the warm glass idea. The lobby area will be a hexagon shape 40 feet across and 30 feet high. They've already hired a local sculpter to design/create the center artwork for the middle of the lobby and are interested in suspending cobalt blue rondels in the windows. Since I don't blow glass, I suggested different sizes of pot drops and she was very interested. I have a meeting with her next week to see the property and windows and am planning on taking a couple of small examples that might be similar to what they are looking for.

Whew! This could be wonderful exposure for me as an artist not to mention the income it might produce. She was also interested in discussing "vessels" for serving food at the new resturant!

I'm looking for advice on this adventure from those of you who have dealt with this kind of thing before. What to do, what NOT to do, things to avoid, etc. Any advice is welcome and I'm looking forward to hearing from many of you! Thanks!
Christyn

Bert Weiss · Post by **Bert Weiss** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 2:08 am

Christyn

Make sure that you charge enough. Get a healthy down payment. Plan on the reality that your experimental work will not come out exactly right the first time. Let your imagination and brainstorm with the designer go where it wants to, then do it.

People love blue. I hope it works out for you. Look up Paul Houseman's website. I think it is Glassprojects.com. If I got that wrong, I'm sure it is in his info on the member list. Paul does some really nice large scale installations consisting of relatively small components.

watershed · Post by **watershed** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 3:21 am

Also read this forum, about 3 months back, a thread on commissions. Lots of good stuff there.

Go for it

Greg

Kitty · Post by **Kitty** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 6:57 pm

i thought about your post for a few days, and decided to throw my two cents in on the dishware production aspect. this venue doesnt sound like a restaurant for the super wealthy. if it were, they'd buy expensive fused plates, break them in the dishwasher, and order some more. i've got a neighbor who's a professional chef, and the private club he works at does in fact buy fused dishes from a production artist, and they do break them up pretty often in the dishwasher. then they buy some more, i guess. the whole thing sounds kinda stupid to me, but it' not my $$.

my idea is that maybe this is an excellent opportunity for you to design the dishes, and sell them the design, which can be fabricated by a glass company. i can give you a link to a fabrication company, if you like. they have things made in China, and you get pre-production samples to approve. the minimum order is $10,000.

whether you can produce a big quantity yourself depends on how many kilns you have, and what your cash looks like to buy materials, i guess. this sounds like a tall order, and will require that you sharpen your pencil and form a business plan to present to the client. if you can pull it off, it sounds like a good money-maker.

as for Watershed's comments, yes yes to all of them. you need a contract, a deposit, and a relationship with the actual client, not just the intermediary interior designer.

my penny's worth.

Tom Fuhrman · Post by **Tom Fuhrman** » Thu Dec 04, 2003 7:17 pm

Don't pass up anything if you can help it. If it's more than you can handle, share it with some of your glass friends and work as their agent, just count yourself in for a decent commission. make sure yu get the deposits and have a good contract and have evryhting spelled out as to what is expected of you and of them including time frame, payments, delivery, installation, insurance, number of meeting required, etc. I've had several commissions where they eat you up with wanting to have meetings all the time to discuss the project and it becomes a waste of time and a big burden. Stay away from the installation if possible as you might have to be able to file documents that you are paying your help the prevailing wage scale if this is a government funded project. aside from all that, GO FOR IT!

charlie · Post by **charlie** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 10:17 am

i was recently talking to a chef who is in the process of opening a highend restaurant about his plates. he's ordered plain white ceramic ones, and is paying $45/each but has to buy 200 as a minimum order to get that price.

Paul Housberg · Post by **Paul Housberg** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 6:22 pm

Bert Weiss wrote:Christyn

People love blue. I hope it works out for you. Look up Paul Houseman's website. I think it is Glassprojects.com. If I got that wrong, I'm sure it is in his info on the member list. Paul does some really nice large scale installations consisting of relatively small components.

It's Paul Housberg and it's Glassproject.com (singular). Unfortunately, I was not savvy enough to buy glassprojects (plural) and a guy in England who consults to glass factories got it. Who knew?

watershed · Post by **watershed** » Fri Dec 05, 2003 6:36 pm

The white plates brought back a possibly helpfull memory. A while ago I visited a "Country INN" in PA. My freind was staff, so we hung out in the basement for a while. This is a $600 a night place, where you can borrow the Rolls for picnics. Anyway, while in the basement I spotted a kiln. Being nosy, I peeked. Turns out that they were extra clever. Instead of buying fine monogrammed china, to break, they bought fine plain china, and a bunch of decals. Fired more when they needed to. Saved a ton of money. Might be cost effective to design a plate(or let them do it), then buy some glass plates and decals.

Just an idea.

Greg

meltdown · Post by **meltdown** » Sat Dec 06, 2003 10:29 pm

Hey Charlie....has your chef friend already ordered his ceramic plates at 200 minimum???? I , too, am a ceramic artist and could easily give him a much better price with a lot lower minimum.....That ceramic person is really ridiculous in that number of items...I do things all of the time for people...I even did handpainted platters and serving pieces for a french restaurant and everyone of them were different...I guess I love doing this so much that it is an honor to me to be asked....

charlie · Post by **charlie** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 3:49 pm

sorry, but considering that it was opening up in a vacant building on the grounds of the local ceramics shop, i think they can find a closer place.

Bert Weiss · Post by **Bert Weiss** » Mon Dec 08, 2003 4:52 pm

Paul Housberg wrote:
Bert Weiss wrote:Christyn

People love blue. I hope it works out for you. Look up Paul Houseman's website. I think it is Glassprojects.com. If I got that wrong, I'm sure it is in his info on the member list. Paul does some really nice large scale installations consisting of relatively small components.
It's Paul Housberg and it's Glassproject.com (singular). Unfortunately, I was not savvy enough to buy glassprojects (plural) and a guy in England who consults to glass factories got it. Who knew?

Sorry Paul Senior moment.