The Family That Does Pottery Together…
He quit a banking career to take a chance on being a potter, and 30 years later Jeff Chang is one of Hawaii’s best
By .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
E-mail this story | Print this page | Archive | RSS |
Del.icio.us
|
now carrying their wears, and the family pride, not everything passed inspection.
“I would go through it and about a third of them would get thrown away, about a third of them would go into the swap meet pile and about a third would be good enough for Liberty House,” says Karen.
But while Karen can now look back and laugh at how a store helped heal family bickering, Liberty House really was responsible for setting the Chang’s on a course of success during a time when Karen says they were in way over their heads.
“We demonstrated in the store all the time, they put his picture up and they really treated us well,” she says. “And they really put a foundation under us that made it possible for us to go from there. We were very, very fortunate. We had both left our jobs in October of ‘76 and Liberty House picked us up in February ‘77.”
While many artists pad their income and add to their recognition by publishing books of their wares, Jeff is simply content making his pots. In fact, once a piece comes off the wheel and is finished with the glaze, it is pretty much forgotten.
|
“I am really interested in the process more than the finished product,” says the artist who calls his work Asian/Island. “I just enjoying making pots. Some people are really attached to the finished product, but I’m attached to the process. Once I’m done Karen takes over, does the marketing and I go back and do the pots again.”
And while others in the art community are surprised when he cannot supply them with even the most simple photographic evidence of his work, to Jeff there is a real reason behind such focus.
“I’m afraid that if I get stuck, I’ll look at them for ideas and I don’t want to work backwards,” he says.
It took the Changs 20 years to get their first gallery and only five more to add the four additional outlets. With growth that quick, maintaining standards is imperative because competition is everywhere and tastes and styles change with time, which means you can go from the top to the bottom in a hurry.
“The challenge for us right now is that we’ve grown so fast and the stores are going well enough that finding time to grow the creative side is the challenge that we are talking about as a family right now,” says Karen.
The Changs have sure come a long way since it all got started in their apartment building overlooking the Ala Wai Canal. Gone is the wheel and kiln from their tiny 10th floor lanai and so is their need to unplug the stove for Jeff to work. In its place is their Kaneohe home and maybe the most important items in his at home studio; his TV and two dogs. No wonder he says that he’s basically getting paid to play.
And where will all this success lead? Hopefully, to a point where many believe they already are.
“We will be really thrilled if we ever make as much money as most people think we are,” says Karen.
Page 2 of 2 pages for this story < 1 2
E-mail this story | Print this page | Comments (0) | Archive | RSS
Most Recent Comment(s):
