We’re at T-Minus three weeks…
gotta get some swimming practice in… and QUICK!!!

Every time you go to an art fair, you have your fingers crossed that you’re going to have good “booth neighbors” when you get there. Always hoping for the best. Friendly, fun, upbeat and making good work. It’s going to be a long weekend if you DON’T have good neighbors. No worries this weekend… I have two good ones!

To my left is Maggie McCarthy and her beautiful watercolors. She’s from St. Louis and made the trip up for the show, as well as hanging out with family and beautiful granddaughter. Her work is very impressionistic & calming. Tranquil settings that make you want to be there. Click here to see more of Maggie McCarthy’s watercolor paintings.

To my right is JD Dennison and his intriguingly altered photography. We first me JD two years ago when he was my neighbor at the Evanston Lakeshore Art Fair when my good friend & metalsmith Sarah Chapman decided to bail on Evanston and go up to Minneapolis instead. JD was quick to snatch up the spot. And this year he was back after a one-year hiatus in Evanston. In fact, he actually requested to be my neighbor again!!!

His photography is pretty slick & contemporary. He uses an intriguing technique that he can describe FAR better than I. But in a nutshell, he takes the photos at night with a flash. Then “inverts” the images so the black darkness turns white, and the “flashed” details of the subject matter turn dark. Kinda crazy. Very cool. Click here to see more of JD Dennison’s photography.

So talented are my neighbors that they BOTH received a Blue Ribbon for “Best In Category.” Maggie won for “Best of Watercolors,” and JD won for “Best of Photography.” Congrats to you both… My Talented Art Fair Neighbors!!!

Fresh flowers always make any art fair booth prettier…
and a great way to show how my Wall Pocket Vases actually works.
Just hang it on the wall, add water and flowers. Done… and beautiful.

Not quite 11:00am, but what the heck…
customers are starting to show up already.
So we’re OPEN and ready to sell some pots! Giddy-up!!!

A half hour until we “officially” open…
and I’ve already made my first artist trade!!!
One less cake plate & more rusty metal coming home!!!
Thank you Joanie from Girly Steel.

One of the benefits of the Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival NOT starting until 11:00am is that I had plenty of time to play on my bike this morning. More fun on the same lakefront, just further south along Monroe Harbor. And now… off to the art fair for final touches before we open!!! Hope to see you there… looks like a beautiful day!

If you’re in the Chicago area this weekend,
be sure to stop by the Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival.

I’ll be in Booth #65 along Sheridan Road at Clark Street. Both Saturday & Sunday from 11:00am-6:00pm. This year we’re in Centennial Park – just one block north of the usual Dawes Park. It’s a big weekend in Chicago, lots going on…
think of this as POTTTERY-PALOOZA!!!

During our FEAST potluck lunch, another metals camp instructor stopped by to join in the fun. And she was promptly challenged to squeeze ten Takis atomic, flaming hot chips in her mouth. Susan tried… and tried… and squeezed… and squeezed… all the time knowing that the atomic fire flavoring would kick in soon!!!

Susan got them all in her mouth, but couldn’t actually eat them. She couldn’t crunch down without losing half of them. So she claimed a “technicality” and said that “eating them” was never part of the original challenge. Whatever?! She was still feeling the burn well after she spit them out… and the kids were still quite amused. Mission accomplished.

As part of our Camp this week, my co-teacher Pam and I decided to make two prizes for the kids. My “prize” was for the Best Cookie form our Cookie Bake-Off on Wednesday. My “prize” plate went to Max for his wonderfully delicious Sugar Cookies. Shocking, I know… no chocolate to be found anywhere, and STILL a winner!!!

Pam’s “prize” was a metal ball peen hammer spoon with a fitting message stamped into the handle. “I Sawed. I Hammered. I Won.”

But the question was who win Pam’s prize?… We all knew it would be based on the number of broken saw blades.

Typically, we give it to the one who breaks the LEAST saw blades during the week. However, this time we felt that “that” winner was someone who didn’t make enough & avoided sawing so as not to break blades. And a few others didn’t continue to mark their tally as they broke blades. So we let the class vote and decide the winner… and they went for the one who broke the MOST saw blades. Not typical for us to award that kind of breakage, but Jordan definitely gave it her best and tried really hard all week.

By the end of the week, my Summer Campers had completed their dinnerware sets. Two days of clay, two days of metal, and Friday for finishing touches & putting everything together. They worked really hard. Focusing on their projects and making sure they stayed on track. We had a great group of kids!!! I covered the clay parts. And my co-teacher Pam covered the metals parts… as I know just enough to be dangerous!!! So here are the finished dinnerware sets… each with a theme designed by my campers!!!

Max went for a sports theme… with each piece representing a different sport. Football platters, soccer serving tray, biking dinner plate, sailing bowl, and a hockey “puck” dish complete with a hockey stick!!!

Max’s younger brother Sam went for a camping theme. With possibly the best bowl & platter EVER!!! Yes, the bowl is “cooking” over the campfire platter – flames and all. Brilliant. You’ve got to admire the unbridled creativity of these kids!!!

Linnea went for a fruits & vegetables theme. With a pumpkin lid platter, watermelon plate, oranges bowl and an incredible asparagus cup!!!

Lena decided to pay homage to  the band Maroon 5… featuring dinnerware based on the names of their songs! Including “Lucky Strike” platter, “Daylight” dinner plate, “Sunday Morning” bowl, and a “Payphone” cup. Gotta love visual puns!!!

Lucy went a different route and honored her Greek ancestry. She spent a lot of time on her dinner plate with grape leaves, vines & grapes!

Elianna went Greek as well. Working the Greek key pattern into the rim of her pieces.

Isaac was working on a DC Comics themed set, but missed a day of clay. So his set was a little smaller than it should have been.

Jett did a sports theme as well. With a soccer ball dinner plate, a basketball hoop, net & ball cup and a golf bowl.

Jett also made the cutest little salt bowl & spoon!!! Cut, filed & hammered into shape.

Willem decided to go green. Not really sure what his “theme” was… but it was something about geometric shapes I think?! Not the most “focused” of Campers…

Sophia used The Beatles as her inspiration. With a “Yellow Submarine” for a platter, and the “Octopus’s Garden” for the dinner plate… she then decided “Here Comes The Sun” worked for the salad plate.

Shaina honored her Jewish heritage with a very symbolic dinnerware theme. Complete with a (sing it with me) “dreidle, dreidle, dreidle, I made you out of clay.”

Zoe went with a fruity theme… banana, cherries, grapes and blueberries!

Stella did a feline theme. Cats, whiskers, cat food and fish skeletons! I especially loved how the grommets in her cutlery were the eyes to her cats!!!

Jordan went all polka dots on us!!! Different size, different colors, different patterns!

Once we had finished assembling all of their parts & pieces, the kids had a great potluck lunch… the “FEAST” portion of the “Fire, Forge & Feast”… while I had to pack it in early so I could make it to Evanston to set-up my art fair booth!

Once again it was a VERY fun week. We had a lot of great kids… reminding me time & time again of just how much I LOVE SUMMER CAMP!!!