Tonight was another fun night of “culture” downtown Chicago…
err, or was that in Oklahoma?!… OK !!!

Yes, we all know the story. We all know the songs. We all know the words.
It was great to see the live production on stage for the first time after seeing the classic film version since childhood. It was very well done with some beautiful voices. There were a few people who might not be the “true” triple threat. But all in all it was fun. I tried not to sing out-loud too much. And for the record, I can say that I still don’t care about Poor Jud Fry.

Part of the fun is also seeing the beauty & majesty of the Civic Opera House in Chicago. It’s one of the largest & grandest theaters in the city. With beautiful art-deco & art-nouveau accents everywhere in it’s beautifully restored state. Everywhere you turn there are stunning architectural accents. Just walking around the lobby and theater is a visually stunning experience. And the people-watching ain’t too shabby either!

By now many of you know that I have a strange fascination with roadkill.
And over the years, and over the miles of biking, we’ve passed many along the way. Well, this morning was not to be outdone. When noticed something in the road and stopped to investigate… and to capture pictures of it for my “roadkill collection.” Only to find out that it was my lucky day!

After a few days in Dover, Delaware… it was great to be back home and back in my bike.
The weather was clear & warm. Unlike the last two days of gloomy rain we had in Dover.

As the sun continued to rise, the colors were quite vibrant. Layers of oranges & reds.
All awaiting for the sun to finally make an appearance on the horizon.

And when it finally did, there was a beautiful reflection across the water.

And

After I turned around and started back home, I did catch a glimpse of the sun through the trees. And it almost looked like a beautiful sunset. That is if I wasn’t keenly aware of which direction I was facing?!… and which way the sun went?!

So it was another round of glaze testing. I’ve been considering a little shift to do some cone 6 glazing & firing. I figure a little “pop” of color would be great. And the smaller kiln that I could fire more frequently would be a nice benefit. And if that weren’t enough, I would be even more thrilled if I could find a few good cone 6 oxidation glazes that also work in cone 10 reduction. So these are the first four samples. Cone 6 on the left, cone 10 on the right. Not sure if I’m “thrilled” with any of these yet… gotta make more!

When you see a horse & carriage on the road… it usually means there are Amish nearby.
When there are Amish nearby… it usually means there’s homemade pie!!!
So I was very excited today while driving in Dover…

Sure, I may be in Dover for a “glitter gig” planning meeting, but that doesn’t mean I can’t take a little time to enjoy a bit of nature while I’m here, right? I always love seeing how the natural surroundings change when you travel. Just a short airplane ride and everything can change!

Okay, so I can find a little “pretty” outside my hotel window too… here’s the view of the Dover Downs Speedway. It’s used for both horse harness racing & auto NASCAR racing. The outer loop is for cars, the inner loop is for horses! And in about a month, we’ll be working around the speedway grounds to set up the Firefly Music Festival. For more information, click here.

What a great surprise to find an adorable little girl, some beautiful flowers and one of my textured slab vases popping up on my Facebook page today?! Thanks Kelly for sharing… and thanks to an adorable Rosie for posing! You both make my vase look better!!!

The new Summer class schedule is out and registration is now open.
Sign-up for a class and play in the clay this summer! 10-weeks of fun!

I will once again be teaching my Tuesday night class for multi-level beginners.
It’s the perfect class for brand new beginners, and repeat beginners who still want to refine their techniques… as well as people who may have played with clay years ago and really just want to get dirty again! The class syllabus is customized to fit the mix of students each session. Of course we cover all of the basics, but we also push a little further to cover topics that the returning beginners are ready to tackle!

Beginning & Advanced Beginning Wheelthrowing on Tuesdays from 7:00-10:00pm.
The ten-week class session runs from June 18th through August 20th.
And if you register before May 27th and save twenty bucks off your class!
You can register in person at Lillstreet Art Center or click here to register online.

And lookey here… on page 6 of the Lillstreet Summer Class Catalog,
there’s some beautiful stamped mugs drying on a studio shelf… if I do say so myself.

Just saw this on the Internet and had to share…
It’s a pretty cool, time-lapse video of potter Charan Sachar doing some fun slip trailing. Each on their own is not too intricate. Not too difficult. It’s a technique that I’ve done before, and showed my students how to do as well. But it’s the ease, clarity and consistency that he shows off in the video… again… and again… and again… it’s almost dizzying!

Click here to see the time-lapse video of Charan Sacher.

And then, it looks like they’re glazed & fired to finish them off… like most pots! But it’s the geometric patterns and slightly raised slip decorations that give them a pop of fun! And now I somehow feel like I need to go get a henna tattoo?!

It was a wonderful “Sunday Surprise” with great clouds blowing across the horizon this morning. They started kind of stacked & splotchy, then very angular across the sky… and ended with a crazy cool cloud formation floating high in the sky!

And then a whole new cloud decided to move into the picture…