So imagine my surprise…
I was working at the “glitter gig” today and we went to the Bridgeport Art Center
to meet a client and do a little pre-site visit for an upcoming event. We were looking
around this really wonderful lofty event space. We happened to pass the washrooms
and I saw these wonderful art installations on the entrance walls. It looked familiar.
And you know how I love grids… multiples of items… and geometric repetition!

Well, these 50 pieces are basically square plates, with square “legs” on both sides.
I believe they were stacked on each other during the firing. And curved so that the
beautiful glassy-glaze build-up can pool in the center of each plate. Stunning.

We continued walking around the event space, and then I ducked through a side door.
Suddenly I was in a small art gallery. And there were more really cool art pieces on the
walls. And then I realized… these were all made by a friend of mine Jay Strommen.

I had run into him last at SOFA Chicago back in November. We were talking and catching
up with stories about people we know from his time teaching at Lillstreet. We then got on
the topic of his current artworks. Let me just say, Jay is very much an “artist.” He lives
the part… and makes me feel so much like a “craftsman” not an artist. A lot of the “art-speak”
he gives goes right over my head. But it’s fun to hear him talking about what he’s doing…
so passionate, so eloquent, so engaging… and still quite funny!

So he then proceeds to tell us that his new work is basically “deconstructing” the entire
ceramic process. Without going into all of the details I don’t quite understand, he’s basically
putting a bunch of clay chemicals, glaze chemicals & other components on a “kiln shelf”
and then melting it all together in a high-fire wood kiln. Of course there’s some very erudite
thoughts behind it, some artistic jargon, some special blah-blah-blah… and I was scared.
Then he tells us that he’s showing at SOFA and that we should go see his work. I was kinda
concerned after all the hype that it was going to be more than a bit crazy. Imagine my
surprise when we got to the booth and his pieces were there hanging on the wall.
And they were incredibly cool!!!

Long story short…
Jay Strommen currently has an exhibit going in the Bridgeport Art Center Gallery.
And since I know that so many of you won’t wander through that same side door I did
today, I thought I would share some pictures of his show!

Now obviously these aren’t all “kiln shelves” that he’s firing onto. They’re actually slabs
of clay that he’s building. But I’m pretty sure that the basic “deconstructed” ceramics
process fired on a kiln shelf principle is still at work here!

And yes, that’s a cone melted onto the surface there… the white hook shaped thing!

If you’re in the Chicago area, be sure to stop by the Bridgeport Art Center to see Jay’s
show. You can also check out Jay’s beautiful website for some images, videos and a lot
of Jayzo’s art speak! Click here to go to Jay’s website… www.JayStrommen.com

Another night of AIRobics. Another night of bouncing… and falling… and laughing!
Perhaps that huge hot pastrami sandwich two hours before was not the best idea?!

With a forecast of overnight snow tonight, I knew that this morning might be
my “last chance” for a ride until the new snow melts away. Unfortunately, there
was no real sunrise to speak of… just another gray day in Chicago.

And here’s a question… Isn’t a snowfence without snow just a fence?!

And so the icebergs have pretty much melted away. But the cold overnights have frozen parts
of the lake. We now have sheets of ice floating around in the harbors. The swelling waves
have broken them up a bit. But the chilly overnights freeze them back together.

Here’s the latest batch of stoneware bowls. Sure, I could leave them plain.
But that really wouldn’t be my style. Stamp. Stamp. And stamp some more!!!
Soon enough, they were stamped & decorated… and no longer a bunch of plain bowls!

Bowl A – Who really wants a plain round bowl?… not me!

Bowl B – From plain bowl to stamped bowl…

Bowl C – Lower, flatter… yet still stamped.

Bowl D – one stamp, two stamp, divot… repeat.

Bowl E – done with a pointed stamp that I hope glaze might pool & run out of.

Bowl F – a single row, a single stamp.

Bowl G – stacked stamps, scalloped edges.

Bowl H – another bowl, another stamp… another stamped bowl.

Before class tonight I trimmed a couple of them. After class the rest of them were ready
to trim as well. So now they’re all stamped & trimmed, and drying for the night!

Another beautiful morning with cool winds coming up from the south.
Not typical… but it made the ride home a lot more fun!

And so nice to see that last week’s “icebergs” are now just like a Lake Michigan Slurpee!

This morning there was a beautiful sunrise. Little did we know that it was going to disappear
so quickly into such a gray & gloomy afternoon.

I’ve often said I have some of the best students ever!
And it was “proven” once again! Today when I made it into my studio, there was a
very “sweet” surprise from one of my Tuesday students sitting there on my wedging table.
Thank you Catherine… let’s just call it “lunch.”

After yesterday’s brief “warm-up”…
a lot of the snow & ice has melted off the bike trail making my morning ride
a lot more fun.. and a lot safer!

The ice mass in Lake Michigan has also begun to melt & break up.
We now have actual icebergs floating along the lakefront.

Yes… actual footprint textures made by the flocks of Canadian Geese that  stroll
along the lakefront crossing the packed pebble paths. You know I love a good texture…
the fact that it was made in such a cool & unusual manner makes it even cooler!!!

After icebergs & geese… it was finally time for a beautiful sunrise!

Tonight I “tackled” throwing plates with my beginning wheelthrowing class.
I always tell my students it’s easier to throw them than it is to trim them.
So I showed them that a platter is basically a low, wide cylinder with flared out
sides. A lot of compressing on the bottom… and some details & decorating.
We discussed dding slip when we made bowls. So why not add it to a platter?!

So I covered the interior of the plate surface with white slip. I then dragged the curved end
of my wooden knife through the slip. Bands here & there, squiggles in the middle. I really
like how the displaced slip also creates some great textures… and some great places for the
glaze to pool. The contrast between the clay body and the white slip ain’t bad either!

Some of them are dry. Some of them are not.
But of course, ALL of them are textured.

Celebrating the birthday of one of the most celebrated Presidents of the United States.
The much acclaimed sixteenth President… Abraham Lincoln.

It was back in November 2012, when I found myself in Washington, DC on Election Day.
Ironic, as I am possibly the most non-political person ever! And yet there I was surrounded
by all of the election activities while I was taking in all of the historical monuments, landmarks
& sights of Washington, DC… including the always-impressive Lincoln Memorial.