Just eight weeks from today!
The premier pottery event in the Midwest!

20th Annual St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour
Friday, May 11, 2012 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Saturday, May 12, 2012 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, May 13, 2012 – 10:00am-5:00pm

Mark your calendars and plan a weekend get-away to surround yourself with incredible
pottery at every turn. There are seven studio stops on the tour, with 49 incredible potters
along the way! Each one better than the next. Each one with a distinctive style. Each with
years of experience. Each with incredible pots!!! So hard to narrow it down… so I’ve picked
out the Top Ten Potters that I’m looking forward to seeing. Some are perennial favorites,
some are friends, and others are new… and may just “need” to join my collection?!

Bob Briscoe – Always the first stop of my tour! Bob’s studio location is beautiful as it
overlooks a quaint pond & woods. Then, to make it even cooler, he puts up several large
white tents and fills them with a LOT of incredible pots and potters! Bob makes these
incredibly funtional; pots with great glazes & textures. Nothing too fancy. Just a great pot.
In fact, I have a set of bowls that Bob made that are perfect for my Thai food addiction!

Matt Metz – One of the favorites on my tour. Luckily, he’s one of the guest potters
at Bob Briscoe’s studio. So when I start my day at Bob’s, I can “have my pick” of all Matt’s
treasures before they get snatched up. I’ve acquired quite a collection of his work…
including this platter which I got last year!

Simon Levin – Guest potter at Guillermo’s place, Simon gets these incredible flashing effects.
Generally I’m not a huge fan of wood-fired pottery. But Simon Levin is the exception!

Steven Hill – I’ve known Steven for several years now, and enjoy seeing him whenever I get
the chance. His glazing effects are stunning. With glazes running, dripping, crystalizing and
working it out all over every pot! Over the past few years, Steven has switched from cone 10
reduction firing to cone 6 oxidation… all the while keeping the integrity of his glazing
techniques. Can’t wait to see him up in Minneapolis. To laugh with him & see his new pots!
Maybe he’ll finally have some dinnerware ready for me?! Yep… I’m waiting Steven…

Delores Fortuna – I’ve know Delores now for several years, but definitely getting to
know her better over the past couple. Delores is an occasional teacher at Lillstreet Art
Center so I get to see her when she comes around. Unfortunately, her class is typically
on Tuesday night… which is the same night as my class! So I can never take her class?!!!

Ellen Shankin – Beautiful forms with sweet glaze combinations. When I first started taking
pottery classes, Ellen had some pots in the Lillstreet Gallery. Even back then, I was still drawn
to her pots. Now that I have more experience & clay knowledge… I still appreciate her work.

Silvie Granatelli – Textures, patterns & colorful glazes that accentuate the details.
If you want to get some of her work, you need to get to the Tour early… her “good stuff”
gets snatched up quickly!

Mary Barringer – Somehow, I have yet to get a Mary Barringer piece?!
How has that happened? I love her subtle textures, and minimal pop of color.

Suze Lindsay – Whimsical illustrations, forms and designs… and soda fired to boot!
I appreciate her simple brush techniques – how deliberate her work is, and yet still very
spontaneous looking. Suze’s style is one of those I “appreciate” but know that I would never
be able to duplicate! I think I’m just a bit too tightly wound… some say anal-retentive!

Josh DeWeese – I first met Josh DeWeese at the old Lillstreet Art Center. He stopped by
several years ago for a weekend workshop. I was still pretty young in my ceramics career.
So it will be interesting to see his work again now that I know more, and appreciate more!

Well, that’s just ten of the 49 incredible potters that will be part of the annual tour!
Of course, there are always a couple surprises along the way. New potters to the tour
who catch your fancy. Or artists who may have new work that catches your eye. Of course,
there a few “missing” from the tour that I was looking forward to seeing. What happened to
Ryan Greenheck & Laurie Shaman?! I got my first Ryan Greenheck pieces last year and
LOVE ‘EM!!! I was definitely looking forward to more of Ryan’s “perfectly” glazed pieces!!!
What the heck?… no Greenheck?!

Mark your calendar and make plans to see a lot of beautiful pottery. Start saving your money
because you’re going to need it… unless you have more restraint than I do! Even if you’re not
planning on purchasing any pots, it’s still a great adventure. So many beautiful things. That
region of Minnesota is beautiful. And the artists are all there and willing to chat. Last year,
we had a great conversation with Bob Briscoe & Suze Lindsay. Hope to talk with them
again this year!

Check their website for complete details, dates, maps & artist information…
www.minnesotapotters.com