The Way We... Work
You know the Laurel & Hardy film where they each pick up an end of a board and one goes one way, while the other goes the opposite. Then they realize what they are doing and switch and are still going the opposite way from each other, well... That's us, Leo & Aquarius, Fire & Water, organized & messy, yin & yang. We complement each other and somehow we have made it work for us for the last 30+ years.
Swayze does all of the firings, he casts the pieces, makes our molds, does all the china painting, glazing, and pieces together the professionals and short subject miniatures. He makes all the frogs and turtles, anything that is green.
I make all the chubbier animal; the pigs, cows, cats, hippos and elephants. I do all the office work and manage the employees. I organize the stock, oversee orders, and pack for our shows.
When Swayze and I work on miniatures, we sit at the same table, working with the components (chairs, bases, books, tables, etc.), making the animals and composing the same piece.
For instance, on the last "teacher scene" we did, Swayze cast the base with the black board, he underglazed the "black" and then I etched the ABC's, 123's and "Teacher of the Year" on the board. Swayze put together the table, book, apple, ruler, and waste basket. I made the elephant holding a page of notes. The piece was then dried and fired. Once out of its first firing, it was underglaze and I drew the pattern on the floor. Swayze glazed the pieces, then pieced them together for their high firing. Once fired and out of the kiln the piece is china painted by Swayze and painted again. After this firing the piece is done! It is then packed, shipped and billed by me.
New pieces are always fun. We exchange ideas, make different little pieces and communicate, looking at it each step of the process, making suggestions, then contributing color and positioning to the final step. Team work, there is nothing like it!
Just like salt & pepper, you've got to have both to get the flavor just right.
Cheers! Kathleen
Kathleen & Dee Swayze, Proprietors
185 S. Main, PO Box 280
Brownsville, Oregon 97327
Phone: 541-466-3394, Fax: 541-466-3465