Well, it’s Week #4 of the Spring Session at Lillstreet Art Center.
And most of my beginners are doing great… and those who aren’t,
are at least doing good and having a great time! So that counts for something, right?!

Tonight was “bowl night” in class and I demo’d how to make bowls on purpose
instead of a cylinder-gone-bad-and-oops-there-it-is-now-a-bowl. As we make the bowls,
I also encourage my students to design, alter & be creative with their bowls. Sure,
they need to make the typical round bowl. But I also like to open their eyes to some
of the other possibilities. There are a LOT of round bowls out there… why not express
yourself a bit to make that round bowl something special?! So, as part of the demo,
I threw ten “practically identical” bowls and then showed them how to do some quick
alterations, and introduced them to the world of colored slips! By the end of the demo,
the ten bowls were each very DIFFERENT bowls… and quick too!

Bowl #1: Plain — Bowl #2: Fluted rim edges

Bowl #3: Flared flange — Bowl #4: Flared & fluted flange

Bowl #5: Split rim & pinched — Bowl #6: Split rim, pinched & squared

Bowl #7: Flower impression — Bowl #8: White slip spiral

Bowl #9: White slip squiggles & line — Bowl #10: White slip chattered

Every time I do the bowls demo, for some reason every one is impressed by the ease and
simplicity of the little flower impression in the bottom of this bowl. A lot of people assume
that it’s a stamp… but instead, it a few impressions with a simple metal tool to create the
flower. I think I got the tool for a couple bucks at Chinese Clay Art. It always makes a
great “surprise” for someone eating out of the bowl when they get down to the bottom!

So there they are… bunches of bowls ready to set-up for the night, dry to leather-hard,
maybe some stamping, then some trimming before they head off to a bisque kiln.

You know I love my kiln filler… and tonight I finished up even more!
One last bisque this week, then it’s another soda kiln firing this weekend.
And it was great to use all those new mini stamps that come out of my last bisque.

Mark your calendars… and plan a road trip for three weeks from today!
The 19th Annual St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour – May 6th, 7th & 8th
Just north of the Twin Cities along the St. Croix River by beautiful Taylors Falls.

Minnesota is know for some rich pottery culture. A lot of great potters live
and work in the Minneapolis area. And this is the perfect opportunity to visit
them in their studios, see their work, meet the artists – as well as their talented
friends who also come to their studios. There are seven incredible studios on the tour.
Each studio artist opens their location, and invites a few of their “Talented Friends”
to show their ceramic works as well. So it’s a pottery extravaganza with all of the
“big names” you’ve seen in all the galleries & Ceramics Monthly.

I am planning on going up again this year with my potter & friend Amy Higgason.
We’ve got a full schedule planned with a lot of pottery admiration, discovery &
shopping to do. With 46 talented artists on the tour, there is more than a lot to see –
and something for everyone’s taste. I can’t wait to see everything… but from looking
at the “list” on the poster, here are my personal Top Ten… in no particular order…

Okay, so maybe there is a particular order… Matt Metz (above) is my favorite.
And I already have quite the collection of his work… mugs, tumblers, jars, etc.
Can’t wait to see what’s new this year?! And now the rest… in no particular order!!

Ryan Greenheck & Suze Lindsay

Ellen Shankin & Delores Fortuna

Bob Briscoe & Donna Polseno

Steven Hill & Simon Hill

Silvie Granatelli

And the list doesn’t end there… there’s great work everywhere! And I know that Amy
will have a slightly different Top Ten… with Jenny Mendes at the top of that list!

Because not only are there the “official” stops on the tour, but there are also several
“rogue potters” in the area who also hang their shingle out by the roads. So if you want
even more pots… make sure you see some of the “undiscovered” talent in the area.

For complete tour details & map… check out the website: www.minnesotapotters.com

Today’s the day!
And I’m really glad that it’s cold, gray & windy outside today.
Less temptation to go outside to play… again! Gotta focus. Gotta get it done!

Still working towards my next soda kiln… about 9 days away…
and I was kind of panicking thinking I may not have enough to fill the whole kiln.
So I decided to make some new textured slab vases. Great fun playing with textures.
Putting them all over the vases… part of the fun is that both sides of the vase are
different texture “pictures.” So the finished vase can be shown with one side…
and then turned around to look like a completely different vase a few days later!

Once these are dry, I’ll bisque them and do a little bit of glazing… inside & out…
and then let the soda kiln work its magic to help accentuate the textures!
I may have gotten a little out of control. And now I’m pretty sure I’ll have too much
work for the kiln! There might be a “few” pieces that don’t quite fit into the kiln…

Like I said… when I turned the corner in Millennium Park, kinda close to the Art Institute…
I turned and noticed that another major harbinger of Spring was right there in front of me.
The Buckingham Fountain had been turned on!

This elaborate fountain is possibly the most recognizable landmark in Chicago.
All Winter, the fountain is closed down, boarded up and packed away for the season.
Each Spring, it’s an exciting event when the fountain returns… as Spring is here!!!
And for those of you who may not have ever been to Chicago, but did watch the TV classic
“Married With Children”… well, then you’ve already seen it there too!

And here’s you quick history lesson…
Buckingham Fountain sits in the center of Grant Park and is the most significant feature.
A gift to Chicago from Kate Buckingham, in memory of her brother, it was dedicated in 1927
as the world’s largest decorative fountain. The design is based on the Latona Fountain at
Versailles, France. It consists of three Georgia pink marble circular basins of 24-foot, 60-foot
and 103-foot diameters, siting on a 280-foot wide bottom pool. Together they hold 1,500,000
gallons of water recirculating 14,000 gallons a minute through 133 jets, with the central jet
reaching 137 feet into the air. The fountain symbolizes Lake Michigan and the four groups
of bronze “sea horses” represent the four States around it.

The fountain is stunning from every side – especially with the sun glistening through.
And depending on which way the wind is blowing, you might get a fine misting too!

The weather was surprisingly beautiful today.
And although I was supposed to be working on my taxes…
I knew that I had to be out on my bike! So I did… and gladly pedaled off for the day…

Headed south along the lakefront towards the city, enjoying the Spring scenery.
Ice & slush is finally gone. There are a few more potholes on the bike trail than usual.
But Spring was everywhere! Leaves finally popping out. Beaches. Skylines. Beautiful.

A little bit further, the Spring wildflowers were peaking out en mass… which made it
the perfect place to make a stop. Really, any place this beautiful is a great place to stop!

Getting closer to the city, I was intrigued by the empty harbors. All summer long, these slips
will be filled with hundreds & hundreds of boats. Every harbor will be filled. Packed full.
So I found it striking that there were absolutely no boats in the lake yet.

Just south of the Chicago Yacht Club, you turn back toward the city and are greeted by a
colorful forest of orange & yellow trees. These trees were installed about a year ago. They
were originally “planted” in Lincoln Park closer to the Zoo. But now they are right there
along the side of Lake Shore Drive. I love that Chicago has ART everywhere!!!

And as if the painted trees weren’t beautiful enough… the ground beneath them
is a blooming carpet of mini daffodils! Ain’t Mother Nature grand?… even with a coat of paint!

Just behind the painted trees is the Cancer Survivors’ Garden. There are beautiful iron
gazebos, benches, urns and gardens strolling up the hill towards the Colonnade.

And the perfect day kept getting better & better… as Magnolias were blooming everywhere.
One of the most striking flowers of Spring, which unfortunately don’t last very long. Just
one big wind storm and they’re gone for another year! And look closely…
apparently that early-rising bumble bee was excited to see the magnolias too!

From the Cancer Survivors’ Garden, it’s just a short walk to the BP Bridge which takes
you over the roads and into Millennium Park. The bridge has a shiny metal surface…
kind of like a Medieval metal-plated armor coating! Very striking… especially when
the sun is glaring off the shiny surface.

Across the bridge, you come up to the Frank Gehry designed Pritzker Bandshell
and striking “birdcage” structure that works as a canopy & sound speaker support
for the concert goes who sit in the lawn. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of Mr. Gehry…
and if you saw this structure from the side or behind, I think it looks completely
unfinished. Okay, I know there’s a concept in there somewhere… I’m just saying…

As I was moving about Millennium Park, it was great to see Spring popping out everywhere.
Little flowers. Small Spring buds. The juxtaposition of last year’s foliage & grasses withering
away while the new Spring fun is emerging all around.

And then… oh, but wait there’s more… the fountain was on!
But I’ll save that for the next post. Coming soon…

So we’re in the third week of our new Spring Classes at Lillstreet Art Center.
And my “beginners” are progressing nicely. They’ve tackled the basics of wedging
and centering, basic cylinders and trimming. So tonight we pushed on a little further.
With their new “cylinders with shape,” we trimmed and then learned how to pull
and add handles to make mugs. They’re first mugs ever!!! And it’s only Week Three!

Plus, you know I like stamps… so why not encourage my students to make their own?!
And they did… we sat around the table and discussed stamps, textures, patterns and the
importance of “making their own mark” in the pottery. More fun to come once they’re bisqued.

And snacks… did I mention snacks? We may not have the professional pastry chefs
this session, but we do have some fine snack-makers! Last week we had some brownies
with cheesecake & peanut butter chunks in it from Hanna, plus a wonderful bag of
Garrett’s Chicago Mix Popcorn! My favorite… and SO addicting!!! Tonight we had a
wonderful Strawberry Margarita Frozen Pie Concoction from Sido & Will. So in between
making mugs & stamps… there’s always time for a few snacks!!!

Crisp & clear… and very windy.
Deceptively clear. Why is wind so difficult to photograph?!

It was great fun going south towards downtown.
But then at some point you have to turn around and come back…
smack dab into the wind!!! As you watch your speed drop instantly from 22 to 12 mph!!!
But once I got past the stretch of beach where there’s no “wind block” from North Avenue
up to Belmont my speed gradually got back to normal. And my breathing… whew…

When I got home from my morning ride, it was great to see
that a couple snowdrops had popped up after yesterday’s “heatwave” in the 80’s.
And even though yesterday’s heat has gone, it’s good to see that the flowers have stayed!