Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: holiday, inspiration

If it were only this easy… and a handful of new crayons
could end the issues of racism & promote equality around the world

A beautiful dream Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Thanks for sharing.

Categories: movie

Like I said last week… you need to go see “The Artist.”
And apparently, the Hollywood Foreign Press agrees.
Tonight they awarded the movie with Golden Globes for “Best Movie” & “Best Actor”
in the Comedy & Musical Category!!! Very well deserved… and my favorite movie
of the year so far! I hope the “momentum” keeps up as we roll towards the Oscars!

Click here to see the trailer… “The Artist” Official Trailer

Categories: process, production

So when I was trimming a bunch of pots today, finishing them off and signing the bottoms…
I remembered how many questions I get during art fair season about my signature on the
bottoms. And yes… for the record… I do in fact sign every pot by hand. One at a time.
It never crossed my mind that many people “assume” that there is a some signature stamp
somehow involved in the process. But the answer is NO. I don’t believe in that. Never have.
I think a signature is a signature. And should be done by hand. If I had a “signature stamp”
then anyone could be “signing” pots with my name?! Interns… Apprentices… Imposters?!
I think it’s important that each piece is signed by hand… by me!

So I teach my students to sign all of their pots as well. And it’s one of my “pet peeves”
when they try to sign their pots with their sharp needle tool. I try to explain to them
that it is too pointy and will just make a scratchy signature that won’t look so good and
will have sharp edges all over the place. Instead, I suggest that they use a dull,
round-ended tool like a pencil, chopstick or ball-point pen to “displace” the clay as they
sign pots instead of painfully scraping into it with their needle tool. In my studio, I use
a ball-tipped tool for my signature. I found it, liked it… and bought a few of them!!!

So over the years, I have signed a lot of pots. And like I said, I never knew that many
people have “assumed” that I used a stamp to keep it so consistent. But it’s not a stamp.

But for those of you have known me and my pottery from the beginning…
you may recall some beginner pots that weren’t signed. My “early pots” have my first name
& year carved in with a needle tool. Yes, I did it too… a needle tool. I have since learned
better. But if you find an old pot with block lettering, we lovingly & mockingly
refer to those ones as “vintage.”

Categories: process, production, studio

Another productive night in the studio. It’s always so much fun
when you pull a bunch of handles… and your cylinders finally become mugs!

Tonight I trimmed a bunch of things, added bottoms to the ovals and
added handles to the mugs. Getting ready to wrap them up for the night
to keep them “workable” for another day. Once the moisture levels “balance out”
a bit, I’ll add a little slip for a splash of color and then they can start drying!

Categories: process, production, stamps, studio

After throwing some basic shapes last night in the studio, I came back tonight
to start the stamping. It feels good to have things “happening” in the studio again.
The holidays are finally over and things are getting back to normal.

So I pulled out some stamps and started pressing them in. Making the first “impressions”
of the New Year. Sadly, the newest batch of stamps has not been bisqued yet, so I’m still
using last year’s stamps… picking from the “thousands” of stamps in my studio arsenal.

Next up… trimming the mug cylinders, adding bottoms to the ovals…
and handles to the mugs! Otherwise, they’d just be cylinders, right?!

Categories: bike, sunrise

This morning was dark & cold. With dark blue skies as I pedaled off along the lakefront.
But there were great clouds hovering out over the horizon, so there was a great
“promise of things to come.” Keep pedaling… keep watching… waiting for it to happen…

Then, as the sun continued to rise, the clouds took on vibrant ribbons of color. There it was!
Creating a dramatic sunrise as they splashed across the sky. And it’s still early January!!!

I’m kinda diggin’ this surprisingly warm Winter… still being able to ride my bike in January?!

Categories: blogs

I just found out that I made the “Top Ten Clay Blogs” as listed by Pottery Making Info.
Apparently, they list their Top Ten every year… and I came in at Number Four!!!
From the look of it, I’m surrounded by a lot of other great potters – all willing to share
their views, ideas & tips! Click here for the list – Top Ten Clay Blogs of 2011.

Who knew that my little blog might be noticed by someone important…
let alone read by anyone at all?!

Categories: production, studio

It seems like it’s been far too long…
And with classes starting again in a couple days, I thought I might want
to get back into the studio and make sure that I still remember how to throw!
It seems like so long ago…

After a two-hour Lillstreet teacher meeting, sheesh, I finally made it into the studio
to get my hands dirty. First, I started with a lot clay layering & wedging to get some
of my fresh reclaim clay prepared to go. I had reclaimed a huge pile of clay shortly
before the holidays, and just put it into clay bags to store it until I had time to
properly wedge it up. So today was the day. And then, once I had that “task” done,
it was time to start throwing. I started with a couple simple favorites… mugs & ovals.

Some simple cylinders… proving that I am still ready for class to start on Tuesday.
It may have been a long holiday break… but I’m back and ready to throw!

Categories: movie

Tonight I went to see the new movie “The Artist.”
It’s receiving rave reviews & nominations… despite the fact that it’s in black & white…
and in the style of a traditional silent film. It’s a classic “boy meets girl” story line.
Except they don’t talk. It’s a beautiful film that draws you in and enchants you along the way.
The storyline is witty, the timing is quick and some great cameo performances. As well as
some beautiful cinematography… especially the scene where the leading man is drinking
at a mirrored table, then it flips, tne he pours his drink on the table. So simple. So brilliant.
You quickly get accustomed to the orchestral soundtrack, the placards that tell you what
they’re saying, and the “mugging” for the camera. Let me just say, the dog steals the show!

Is it the Best Picture?… we’ll see. I have a lot more movies to see.
Once the Oscar nominations are released, I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.
And a lot of popcorn to eat.

Categories: nature

It was another unusually sunny & warm Winter day here in Chicago.
So, what else to do?…  but go for a nice long bike ride. And it was wonderful.
A lot warmer than my morning sunrise rides have been. So I went even further!
When I got home, I was struck by the beauty of my new orchid as it was dappled
in shadows from the sun that was streaming in through the dining room windows!