On a gray & rainy day like today, it’s great to get a bright splash of color around the corner. Beautiful pink dogwood blossoms on graceful branches.

Last night I had the pleasure of doing a little ZOOM studio tour & demonstration for the Glenview Art League. They all “stopped by” for some chatting & banter…. then a few demos of throwing on the wheel, followed by some stamping & surface decoration… and more discussion. Hopefully they all had fun… I know I did. After all, it was all about ME!!!… ha!

Such weird times when we’re still showing our studios, artwork & process through a small, non-tactile computer screen. I so look forward to getting back to in-person face-to-face fun! Keep getting those vaccines so we can get some herd immunity and get back to more normal days!

Spring is here & things are popping up all over! If any of my Central Illinois fans are around this weekend, I’ll be “popping-up” in Peoria this Friday & Saturday. Beautiful homegrown plants, colorful coleus & more for your yard, containers & windowboxes! Plus an assortment of my pottery… mugs, vases, flower pots & more! You’ll also get to see one of my totem poles in the garden… and meet me very first art fair friends from “several” years ago!

Friday, May 7th & Saturday, May 8th – 9:00am-4:00pm
2314 Skyway Road, Bartonville, IL 61607

Gotta love playing with some thick slip! This was made as a class demo last night, so I guess it kinda still fits under Texture Tuesday… even though today is Wednesday???

Last night in my Beginner’s wheel class, we glazed for the first half of the class. Followed by a quick not-so-basic-bowls demo! Not enough time for the full-blown bowl demo we’re used to… but we did tackle how to throw “a bowl on purpose” instead of a cylinder gone bad. Followed by some quick decorative techniques to make each one a little more special!

Looks like my African Violet isn’t the only one that’s enjoying its “new digs” in a handmade ceramic flower pot!!! My friend Keith recently transplanted this violet and now it’s THRIVING!!! Thanks for sharing this stunner Keith!

Just a sliver of sunshine early on… then clouds, clouds & more CLOUDS! Nothing but gray clouds covering the sky, a chilly breeze & low-flying clouds hovering amongst the Chicago skyline… so glad I caught that sliver of color!

Celebrating with another batch of mugs… this time for a quick special order. My fingers are crossed as the request is to “match” an older mug from a previous firing. Of course I didn’t keep notes on what I did for that first mug… so I’m kinda flying by the seat of my pants and “hoping” that I have the color combos right?! The blue color is a soda flashing slip, and the brown liner glaze is tenmoku. I’m just hoping that these work out… and “match” as much as any soda-fired piece can!!!

When they said “April showers bring May flowers”…
I wasn’t looking forward to this!!!

After our bike ride to Fort Sheridan & back… the day was still beautiful and I “needed” to stay outside! So I stopped off at The North Park Village Nature Center on my way home. A little nature sanctuary right in the city. I’ve never stopped here before… a sweet little gem… thanks for the recommendation Lisa!