So here’s my Summer Art Fair Schedule as far as I know it…
I just got the good news from the Evanston folks today! So mark your calendars!!!
As I continue to wait for notifications from the other art fairs, I’m keeping busy
in the studio making more work… and keeping my fingers crossed!
Which makes it just a little tough to throw…

Schaumburg Prairie Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, May 29th, 2010 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, May 30th, 2010 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center
201 Schaumburg Court in Schaumburg, Illinois

Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, June 12th, 2010 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, June 13th, 2010 – 10:00am-5:00pm
Burlington Park on Chicago Avenue between Washington & Garfield Streets
in Hinsdale, Illinois

Evanston Lakeshore Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, August 7th, 2010 – 11:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, August 8th, 2010 – 11:00am-6:00pm
Located in Dawes Park along beautiful Lake Michigan
on Sheridan Road between Church & Davis in Evanston, Illinois

As the morning clouds lifted, the sunrise was shrouded in layers of gray.
After yesterday’s near-70 mile Easter Ride in the chilly wind,
this morning was a great way to loosen up those muscles and remember
what it’s like to NOT pedal in the wind all day!

Not on Easter?… but weeks later???
Today was the annual “Easter Ride”… the official kick-off of our biking season.
It is the first organized bike ride that gets us all out there to pedal through
the Illinois countryside. The ride started down south in University Park, and
rambled 68 miles through area, into Indiana, and back. It was a windy, chilly ride…
but a wonderful day to be riding with friends! And celebrating Chris’ birthday!!!

And when you run across a huge buffalo… you’ve got to stop!!!

Tonight I started glazing. After a LOT of rearranging… a LOT of stacking…
just trying to make some space to organize my bisque & make room to work.
But I finally got my act together and started inlaying glaze into my stamped textures.

It’s kind of a lengthy process where I fill the stamps with glaze, let it dry
and then wipe off the top surface with a damp sponge to clean off the pot surface,
but leave glaze in the stamped recesses. Since these pots will be soda-fired, the pot
surface will remain unglazed – leaving the soda atmosphere to do its magic! The glaze
inlays will help accentuate the stamping, and the colored slip will give it color accents.

Tomorrow the glazing process will continue with liner glazes, wadding and a bit of
sprayed glazes for a little extra splash of color on a few of the pieces. Then continue
the same process all over again with the bowls… flower pots… vases… and more!
A lot of pots to glaze & wad before I can load & fire the kiln!

So… my friend, studio-mate and fellow TV Jeopardy player… Karen Patinkin
has finally made her online debut. Welcome to the wonderful blogosphere Karen!!!
Now don’t get too excited… she doesn’t have a new blog… she doesn’t have
a new website… although I keep urging her to jump on the blog band-wagon.
But today she was featured on a Chicago-based blog “Chicago Now” that features
great things around town. And today she’s being “exposed” as one of
“The Best Kept Secrets” after 30 years of making beautiful pottery!

Check her out on “her first blog posting… Karen Patinkin: Best Kept Secret

And then the sun peeked out…
amazing how quickly the sky can change in a matter of minutes.

A morning sunrise like this makes it all worthwhile…
including the intrusive, far-too-early-in-the-morning alarm clock!!!
This morning was stunning.

You’ve seen the kilns… you seen the loading.. now I have PILES of bisque.
Everywhere I turn in the studio… piles of bisque. Gotta start glazing soon…
if nothing else, to make a little more room to make more work?! Where to start?!