
Some new texture fun just “rolled” into my studio… some new hand rollers from MKM Pottery Tools!!! Can’t wait to give these a quick roll over some clay to see the groovy cool patterns they’re going to make!!!



Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play |
Some new texture fun just “rolled” into my studio… some new hand rollers from MKM Pottery Tools!!! Can’t wait to give these a quick roll over some clay to see the groovy cool patterns they’re going to make!!!
Another colorful t-shirt for TIE-DYE TUESDAY!
I’ve been busy in the kitchen letting the ice melt & the colors spread! This one was just a crumpled shirt covered with ice and then sprinkled with powdered RIT Dyes! The melting does the magic!!!
More fun splashing colors & making spirals… I just can’t stop myself!
This time I scrunched a spiral into the shirt, sprinkled the RIT powdered dye onto the shirt, and then covered the whole thing with ice cubes! Easy-peezy… and so happy that the spiral turned out so well!
Not a cloud in the sky… just clear sailing this morning on my bike. A little chilly still along the lakefront… but Spring is warming up nicely… just not this morning!
Look what showed up in the mail today! The poster for THE ST. CROIX VALLEY POTTERY TOUR! I’ve been going to this pottery tour for over a decade – always one of my favorite road trips.
Until now… last year & again this year they will be going “virtual” with online sales instead of an in-person event. So much more fun to touch, love & actually feel the pottery… as well as chat with the artists in-person. But I get it… staying safe during these crazy times. Guess we’ll have to play online instead… with fingers crossed for the in-person tour to return next year!!! Now if I could just wrangle an invite to be one of the potters included THAT would truly make my day!!!
This afternoon’s project… some quick trimming & detailing with colored flashing slips before class starts! I’ve got “a few” spoon rests to finish up… and limited time. Giddy-up!!!
Beautiful sunshine streaming through splashing some bright light & dramatic shadows on the colorful Spring flowers.
Too beautiful outside today to NOT go for another bike ride, right?! Clear blue skies with a strong wind coming in from the west… made it pretty, but challenging in both directions of my 40-mile ride! A quick stop off at a “still-closed-for-pandemic” Navy Pier… and now off to the studio to finish some pieces off & to teach tonight!!!
Another fun t-shirt “before & after” the ice pile! A plain white t-shirt folded up, sprinkled with powdered dye and then covered with ice cubes. As the ice melts, the color dissolves and seeps into the shirt. It’s always a surprise to see the final result… usually not what you’re expecting… but frequently better!
So I spent a little time in the kitchen over the weekend… not cooking… but setting up another batch of tie-dyed t-shirts! Summer Camp is coming and I need more shirts!!! Plus, I’m just a tiny bit addicted.
Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
Lillstreet Studios ∙ 4401 North Ravenswood, Chicago, Illinois 60640 ∙ 773-307-8664 gary@firewhenreadypottery.com |