Amy and I decided to get up early and go hiking before the Northwoods Art Tour.
So we set the alarms and bundled up to head out into the frozen morning air.
Bundled up, we set out on the McNaughton Trail for some early morning beauty.

And then we made our way around to a smaller lake where the morning mist
had not dissipated yet. And to make the morning even more magical, the mist had
frozen and “frosted” all of the beautiful plants along the lake’s boardwalk.

And then it was back to Amy’s… for another day of the Northwoods Art Tour!

For more photos of my time in the Northwoods… check out my Facebook page.
Do a search for “Fire When Ready Pottery” and click the LIKE button. Then check
out my photo albums for a whole lot more photos!!!

So after the tour on Friday night, Amy was pleased to take me on a tour of her Northwoods
area. We were a bit tired, but still excited to get out and see some of the beauty of the
Northwoods. We hopped in her car and set out for our evening tour… and I was excited
to see her “friends” in the car! Her “love monkeys” both Curious & Sock!!!

One of the stops on the tour, was a beautiful wilderness resort where Amy’s family
comes up to vacation at. And what Northwood location would be complete without
a chainsaw carved bear?!

While we were touring the area, we also pulled off and stopped off at a beautiful lake.
The colors were beautiful, the lake incredible… and what a great sign on the bridge!

Then we headed off to tour Minocqua, and see some of the sights & locations that make up
Amy’s day-to-day life in the Northwoods. Lucky for me… we pulled off in a small park
just in time for me to view an incredible sunset!

So then we finally got around to having dinner… and of course, I had to start off with a big
basket of deep-fried cheese curds!!! When in Rome…

So once we were all set up Friday morning, we were ready for the customers!
There were 26 stops on the art tour… Amy was tour stop #14. Also joining Amy,
was her special guest artist Katlyn Koester. Amy met Katlyn several years ago
when she was working at a local Northwoods art center. Katlyn was s student then,
and she has now graduated from colege with her BFA in ceramics. She’s a “youngster”
starting out on her journey… and Amy has been her “mentor” for a few years!

Soon the customers were arriving and taking time to enjoy & appreciate Amy’s beautiful work.
The day was a bit chilly, and a little rainy here & there, but the customers continued to come!
So we were ready… three potters ready to greet the public. Enjoying the fall weather,
bundled up and trying to keep warm… and dry as the drizzle kept coming in & out.

The pots were priced. The campfire was going… good for keeping warm while we enjoyed
the fall colors just off Amy’s driveway. And amy was keeping her tea warm by the fire
in one of MY mugs!!! A little cross-marketing & support between artists never hurts!

But more importantly… the s’mores were ready to be toasted as well…
yes, that was my contribution; I was in charge of the s’mores! That’s the least I could do!
And yes… we had to “try them out” for quality control and all… We were actually offering
up “gourmet s’mores” – traditional Hershey’s, Ande’s Mints or Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!
Perfect for the kids… and the kids at heart! Some “into it” more than others…

The actual tour was great. We met a lot of great people who stopped by Amy’s studio.
Many of them were quite impressed by Amy’s work, and Katlyn’s too. I was quite excited
to see a couple of my friends stop by as well. My “very first” art fair friends ever came up
for the weekend… and they live in Peoria, Illinois! Luckily, they have family in Stevens Point,
Wisconsin… so they decided to come up a bit further and “share the love.” Very fun.
They are always so energetic & supportive. Also, one of my Lillstreet students came by with
her husband Pat. They have a cabin up in the Northwoods and were more then ready to
visit and “start” their very own Amy Higgason Collection!!! Pam was so excited to see the
intricate patterns, carvings & colors of Amy’s work. As a relative “newbie” in her wheel
throwing journey, Pam understands the work that goes into it… and was quite impressed!
In fact… after a long time admiring Amy’s work, it was Pam’s husband who declared that
“Amy’s work is more feathery, and mine is more foot-printy.”

On Sunday, the tour slowed down a bit and the customers trickled in a little slower.
While I took the opportunity to go for a bike ride, Amy took the opportunity to do some
demonstrating of her process – making some nice textured plates.

By the end of the weekend, were were all pretty well exhausted…
and at the end of the day on Sunday, it was time for Amy & Katlyn to ring the “closing bell.”

Sadly, Amy has decided to make this her last year of participating in the “official”
Northwoods Art Tour. She has been instrumental in the implementation & graphic design
of the tour. Unfortunately, her volunteer efforts were taking up too much of her time & energy –
so she has decided to bow out of next year’s tour. And possibly establish her own
“Pottery Event” for next Fall with some of her local art friends… and who knows?…
there’s a chance I may get to join her in the festivities next year?!

So Amy will not be leaving the Northwoods, she will not be quitting the pottery biz…
but she will be making more incredible pots and trying to find new ways to get it out there
to her “adoring public.” If you happen to see her Pigeon Road Pottery sign out on the road
be sure to stop by!

Before we get too far into the story-telling… let me introduce you to Amy Higgason.
She’s an incredible potter that I met many years ago at Lillstreet Art Center when I was
just starting out in my Beginning Wheelthrowing Classes! Since that time, Amy has
moved on in her pottery career, took a residency position in the Northwoods and has
never looked back. She’s been living up in the Northwoods now for over seven years.
Her studio is just a stone’s throw from her house – right there on Pigeon Road.
Hence the name… Pigeon Road Pottery.

Amy’s work has always been quite intricate, textural & detailed. I’ve always liked her style.
I think it may come from the fact that we were both trained as graphic designers before we
started in pottery. So we have a similar background, and a similar aesthetic.

Once I was there, we did the usual chit-chatting, settling-in and giggling… then we
set off to unload her latest kiln. Done just in time for the Northwoods Art Tour.

As we were unpacking the kiln, I was once again awestruck by her work…
the carving, the sgraffito, the textures, the sprigs, the imagery. All of it.
So of course I was also doing some mental shopping of my own!
Which of these beauties was going to come home with me?!

So here’s a quick photo tour of Amy’s studio and her amazing work!

Also, for those of you who may have done the Art Tour in previous seasons, Amy also
has decorated her studio with some of the projects that were created during the Tour.
A couple years ago, Amy had all of the guests make a textured tile. They have all now
been glazed & fired, and mounted onto two panels that decorate the exterior of her studio.

This past summer, she had people make little clay heads. All of the heads
have now been fired and now “reside” in a commemorative platter in Amy’s studio!
Too funny… and a great idea I may need to “borrow” sometime in the future!

After working in the morning, and a meeting downtown, I hopped into the car
last Thursday to head up to the Northwoods. My friend Amy lives up in Lake Tomohawk
so it was going to be around six hours of driving… plus any “excursions” along the way?
It’s a long drive, but luckily, as the trip started to get a little “long”… that’s when the
fall colors started to burst on the scene! The second half of the trip was beautiful.
So of course I had to stop a couple times to take some pictures along the highway.
I even pulled off a couple times just to “explore” and see some color!

By the time I got to Amy’s place it was already dark. And up there in the Northwoods,
when I say it’s dark, I mean REALLY dark. Pitch black. With no street lights?!
Amy was still at a business workshop, so I sat out on her front porch all bundled up
in a blanket and watched the stars. So much cooler than the few stars we may
occasionally get to see here in Chicago! While I was sitting there, minding my own
business, two deer decided to stroll right past the deck – about five feet away from me!
I think I scared them just as much as they scared me?! Beautiful.
And a great “welcoming party” to the Northwoods!!!

Okay, so here goes…
Last weekend I went up to the Wisconsin Northwoods for a long weekend getaway.
The Fall colors were vibrant & intense. The perfect weekend for a Fall excursion.
Even better, because it was also the Northwoods Art Tour! And my friend
Amy Higgason of Pigeon Road Pottery was stop #14 on the tour. So I decided to
drive up, hang out and help her for the weekend.

I’ve finally gotten around to editing my photos… but there are still a LOT of pictures.
So I’m warning you now… this may get lengthy?!

Plus, if you want to see the photos, but not suffer through my verbose ramblings,
you can also go to Facebook and see my photo albums at “Fire When Ready Pottery.”
Do a search, click “Like” – then open the photo albums. And enjoy…

As the summer comes to a close, the plants on my back porch are starting to suffer
and wither in the cooler Fall weather. But, it’s still great to see every morning as
my rusty farm gear “curtain” is getting covered by morning glories & cardinal flowers!
Okay… so it’s really more leaves, and not so much flowers… but it still looks nice!

Plus, a quick shot of the “other” side…
so you can see all of the BEAUTIFUL rust!!!