Okay, so by now you’ve probably figured out that I like sunrises.
I may have taken a few photos of them over the years?! But I do like sunsets as well.
I just don’t get to see that many of the without a lot of “stuff” in front of it?! Living
in the city, it seems like there’s always a skyscraper or something in the way.

So I was excited tonight when the sunset exploded across the sky…
and there were only a few telephone wires in the way!

I found out tonight that my Beginning Wheelthrowing Class is FULL.
The new session begins next Tuesday and all eighteen spaces are taken.
It looks like I’ll have a bunch of new people to play in the mud with!!!
Let the games begin…

Yes, it’s true.
It is still the first week of January and I’ve already submitted my Summer Camp
Schedule to the folks at Lillstreet Art Center. It’s going to be another great summer
of making art with the kids… but I REALLY can’t believe that we had to make our
schedules so early in the year. I had to sketch out my entire summer schedule,
making a lot of assumptions along the way, to incorporate art fairs, kiln firings,
bike rides, vacations, family obligations and everything else! So I’ve now “planned”
my entire summer around art fairs I haven’t even applied to
and bike ride dates that aren’t even published yet!

Don’t get me wrong… the overnight temperatures are still pretty cold in Chicago.
Leaving some incredible frozen “sculptures” along the lakefront.

I doubt that they “survived” the 50-degree day we had today?! So much better than the
freezing cold & blizzards of snow we should be having this time of year, huh?

The temperature was still pretty chilly this morning. Still dark. Still cold. But clear.
So I piled on the layers and pedaled off towards the lakefront for my first sunrise bike ride
of the New Year. And it was beautiful.

Crisp blue skies… with a red glow beginning to develop on the horizon. Quite a beautiful
transformation. Even though the sunrise seems so much further away these days?!

And then the red glow dissipated and the sky took on a golden glow.

But for some reason, the lakefront today seemed to be chosen airplane route to O’Hare.
Several planes could be seen lining up as they approached the airport. And leaving these
dramatic stripes across the sky. At one point, it was quite apparent that “X” marks the spot.
I’m still wondering if there is a treasure chest of gold or something in the middle of the lake?!

Tonight I signed up for my third workshop with Julia Galloway!
If you want to see beautiful pots, extreme detail and exquisite design… this is the
clay workshop to sign-up for. Julia’s coming back to Lillstreet Art Center for another
two-day workshop on February 18th & 19th. And there are only 10 spaces left!

My first workshop with Julia Galloway was several years ago. I had just started pottery
classes, and had finally moved on from my Beginner’s class to Intermediate. I was still
pretty new and didn’t think that I was ready for a workshop with such an established &
renowned ceramic artist. Plus it was more expensive than I was ready to pay. Luckily,
a few of my “more advanced” friends at Lillstreet convinced me to sign up for the workshop.
So I did. Thanks Amy. And within the first 10 minutes of the workshop I was hooked. Not
only is Julia Galloway’s work exquisite, but she’s also extremely eloquent, insightful and so
approachable. In the workshop she demonstrated her construction methods, as well as
her decoration tricks & techniques. I was enamored from the get-go. I could just sit there
and listen to her talk. Her anecdotes. Her insights. Her creative turn-of-phrase.

A few years later, Lillstreet Art Center moved to its current location on Ravenswood.
Julia Galloway was one of the first artists to come there for a Visiting Artist Workshop.
And I was right there ready for another workshop… and to be her workshop assistant!
By then I was a studio monitor, teaching assistant, had moved on to more advanced classes
and totally understood the benefit of taking a workshop from someone of Julia’s caliber…
regardless of the price!

As her workshop assistant, I also had the opportunity to work more closely with Julia.
Including helping her install her solo show in the Lillstreet Gallery. It was great to have some
quality time with her to discuss her work, as she also asked me about mine, as we unpacked
and put out her stunning pieces. Part of her show was this incredible & crazy collection of
tumblers. Each on it’s own shelf. But the crazy part was that when I put them all on the
shelves in the correct sequence, an image appeared across the collection. Like magic. Oh,
but wait there’s more… when you turned all of the tumblers around to show the opposite
side, the same image appeared but only as a black & white line drawing across all of the
tumblers! Luckily, someone just happened to catch me passing the installation one day…
me in my apron, smirking with a bunch of stunning tumblers behind me!

So now she’s coming back to Lillstreet Art Center for another 2-Day Workshop. She’ll be
showing her techniques, sharing her stories and hopefully giving away all of her secrets!
I’m very excited to be going to her workshop once again. My Julia Galloway Trifecta.
Each time that I’ve seen Julia in person, I’ve been at a very different stage in my ceramic
career. The first time I was a beginner, recently engulfed in clay. My second workshop I
was becoming proficient but wasn’t sure where my “path” would take me. This time, I look
forward to seeing her again with my current perspective as a now “professional” potter
working to make a living while playing in the clay!

In fact, I’m so excited and encouraging everyone to sign-up… so much so, that Sam,
my Tuesday night wheelthrowing assistant, has already secured her spot as Julia’s assistant
for the workshop! Hopefully she’ll have a similarly wonderful experience that I did
when I was Julia’s workshop assistant.

Sign up today – click here to register online with Lillstreet Art Center.
As of tonight, there were only ten spaces left for this special workshop!

After spending some time “de-Christmasing” my studio tonight
and packing away all of my decorations, I had time left to play with some clay
and make a few new stamps. It’s kind of become an annual tradition…
New Stamps for the New Year!

And yes, I do put my name on every stamp… you never know who’s going to
borrow something, where they may “travel” on their own, and I frequently
let my class students borrow a few to decorate their pots!

One week from tonight my new Winter Session Wheelthrowing Class begins!
It’s a multi-level class for brand new beginners and “returning” beginners
or those who still need to hone a few basic skills before moving on.

As of tonight, there are only three spaces left in my class!
Don’t miss out on the fun. Come play in the clay… Sign up today!
Click here to register online – Tuesday night Wheelthrowing Class.

It’s been so nice taking some time off these past few weeks.
Time off from both the pottery studio and my “glitter gig” responsibilities.
Time off for the holidays – both Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Time off to play with friends – sharing meals, stories & gifts.
Time off to watch FAR too much television!!! And I do watch too much TV.

And I seriously don’t think that my TiVO has EVER been empty!
Except maybe the first day when I first plugged it in?!!!

This window on my TiVo is usually filled with shows, hours & hours of TV all
piling up because I don’t have time to watch them! Many shows with that little
yellow symbol threatening to delete shows if you don’t watch them soon!

Now that I’m all caught up on my favorite shows…
I can’t wait to get back into the studio! Starting tomorrow!!!