Who knew we could make it to 1,300 Fans so quickly?!
Well not me. When I checked my Facebook page this morning we had already surpassed my goal of thirteen hundred Fans. Which means we made it in a couple hours!!! WOW!!!

Thanks to everyone for spreading the word. Well done team!

After an incredible cloudy sky show yesterday morning… today was quite different.

We’re so close…   We only need ten more Fans to make 1,300!!!
Any chance we can make it happen by the 13th?! Wouldn’t that be groovy?!
Thirteen hundred by the Thirteenth!!

Click here to go straight to my Fire When Ready Pottery Facebook Page.
And then be sure to hit “LIKE”…
and then SHARE with your other Facebook Friends! Spread the word!!!

The 2013 Student Member Show opened today in the Lillstreet Gallery.
And while I’m not part of the show, it’s great fun for me to see so many
of my previous students & friends in the show. A lot of great pottery, sculpture,
jewelry & paintings by a lot of great artists. The show only runs for a week…
so hurry in today!

This morning had clouds. Lots of clouds. Layers of clouds.

Those layers were slow starting.
But once they started lighting up… they were magical.

And with a morning temperature of 64 degrees…
I had to pile on a few extra layers as well… Jacket. Hat. Pants. Gloves. Etc.
I guess Summer is officially over…. brrrrr…

There’s a great new photography exhibit going on downtown these days.
Located on the plaza of North Riverside… just west of the Lyric Opera House.
“Butterflies & Buffalo: Tales of American Culture”

The first thing that strikes you is the HUGE camera sitting there on the plaza. Turns out, it is indeed the largest camera ever! So big that it actually rolls into & travels in a full semi-truck! Created by photographer Dennis Manarchy to capture cultures all across the country. This traveling photo exhibit is actually a truly functioning camera, using 4.5′ x 6′ film, which will be crossing the country to capture images & cultures from a truly personal vantage point. Up close & personal. Oversized prints from oversized negatives to capture every detail of every culture. The photography project is being timed to coordinate with the 200th anniversary of the invention of the camera. At the end of the traveling tour, the camera & images will be donated to the Smithsonian Institute in 2014.

From the website of Dennis Manarchy:
Unknown legacies lie among us.  Rich cultural heritage and folklore quietly resonate within our landscapes. The United States is the most ethnically diverse nation in the world, yet we have struggled to find commonality in our differences, and in our rapid daily quest to achieve the ‘American Dream’, we have lost touch with our roots. Now is a pivotal time.

Symbolic of our fragile surviving cultures and the enduring strength of the American spirit, “Butterflies & Buffalo” will forever preserve our nation’s dynamic cultural history through the largest film camera in the world and a 20,000-mile nationwide documentary journey. The magnificence of over 50 cultures will be captured and shared with the public to commemorate extraordinary people from all walks of life. Join us on this amazing journey. 

Click here to see more about this incredible photography project.

Have you EVER seen a larger camera lens?!

Here’s the centerpiece of the exhibit. A large portrait emblazoned on the side of the wall overlooking the plaza, the Chicago River and the back side of the Chicago Lyric Opera House.

More of the photos by Dennis Manarchy posted on the side of the building…

Here are a few of the stunning examples that are traveling along with the camera. Huge enlargements with incredible details. Each photo capturing the true personality & essence of the subject.

And my personal favorite… don’t you just want to be her friend?! She’s gotta be fun!!!

Don’t forget to click here for a video about this fantastic photography project!!!

Sadly, my cousin Kim’s favorite cat of all time passed away earlier this year. Rudy.
After years of cherished memories & warm nights snuggled together.
Luckily, her boyfriend Don knew that Rudy was so very special in Kim’s life, and that his passing was a momentous occasion in her life, so he had to be cherished, celebrated & memorialized. With that said, Don called me and asked if I would be willing to create a special, custom urn to hold Rudy’s cremated ashes. How could I say no? Although I’m not a fan of custom orders, this one was so touching & heartfelt… I knew I had to say ‘yes.’

I started by throwing two lidded jars. I knew that it would be better to hedge my bets and make two, knowing that at least one of them would turn out fine. There are so many opportunities along the way for a pot to get messed up, especially when soda firing. So I made two. One lower & rounder, the other taller and more statuesque. Each one was stamped with a nice repetitive pattern.

And then, I decided to customize them with some alphabet pasta letters… thanks to my former student Tracey who turned us onto the simple process.

So I separated letters and tried to find all the ones I needed.

Then I started pressing them into the leather-hard pots… okay, they were on the wetter-side of leather-hard. Along the way, I decided to hedge my bets one more time. To make one for “Rudy” and the second one for a more generic “Kitty.” I like the lower rounder jar better, so I was hoping for that one to be the finished piece for Rudy. But if that one doesn’t work out, “Kitty” would still be a viable option.

Once the letters were all pressed into the clay, I covered them with a band of colored flashing slip. A colored slip band across the jar and another one on the lid… with some accents in each an every stamp.

I left the pasta in place as they dried… and again when I bisque fired them. When the pieces came out of the kiln, they were a little scratchy around the letters where the slip had “built-up” around the pasta. A quick bit of sandpaper did the trick to even them out.

I then covered the stamps and letters with temoku glaze. Filling the indentations completely with glaze.

Then with a damp sponge, I wiped off the top layer of glaze to reveal the patterns & indentations now filled with glaze.

After a quick soda firing, both lidded jars turned out great. I’ve had to keep them “under wraps” for a few weeks so as not to ruin the surprise for Kim. The jars were in my last soda firing, but I had to wait until Kim received her gift before I could post them here

So this one now turns out to be an “extra”…
anyone have any ashes in a box somewhere that need a good home?!

And here’s the one that brought my cousin Kim to tears…
I gave the jar to her boyfriend Don during “Art In The Barn.” He proceeded to give it to her in front of all of us… my parents, her Mom, and more family & friends. She was so touched by the gift that she immediately turned into a sobbing mess. So touching. So emotional. So appreciative. Exactly the reaction one would like to get.  And now Kim’s favorite cat Rudy has a fitting resting place. RIP Rudy.

And counting.
Seemed like a good idea & so far away when I signed up for it.
Seemed like I would have had more time for training when I signed up for it.
Where did all that “time” go?!    Instead… fingers crossed.

Studios are open & my shelves are stocked for the Ravenswood Artwalk. Go for a stroll up and down Ravenswood for lots of art, studios, galleries, shops, demos & fun. Be sure to come up to the second floor of Lillstreet Art Center to say hello in Studio 205 West.

I’ll be in my studio all day long… not so sure about tomorrow’s schedule yet.
But even if I’m not there, my studio will still be open and one of my studio neighbors
can help you out. There’s a lot to see all around the building… and all over Ravenswood!

Ravenswood Artwalk
Saturday, October 5th – 11:00am-7:00pm
Sunday, October 6ht – 11:00am-6:00pm

Most people would see it as a coffee cup.
But my brother-in-law has decided that it’s also a prototype for the new item
he thinks I should add to my product line. Apparently he thinks everyone
needs a “ceramic Dairy Queen Blizzard insulator cup with handle.”
Seems it’s all the rage at my niece Taylor’s house!