The reign of rainy mornings has finally come to an end.
And it felt great to get back outside this morning.
The sky was clear and the temperature a little cooler than normal.

Layer after layer, today I loaded all of my glazed tiles for the collaboration project into an electric kiln. It’s a Cone 6 firing using a relatively new glaze recipe… so my fingers are crossed.

This week at Summer camp, my kids will be making their own “Pop Art” Sculptures.
However, my “mission” this week is to sneak in some Art History along the way.
So over the course of the week we’re going to talk a lot about Pop Art, and many of the “famous” Pop Artists along the way. We’ll discuss their styles, influences and what makes them unique from each other. By the end of the week I’m pretty confident that they will be able to recognize the following twenty-three Pop Artists.

How many of these Pop Artists can YOU identify?… no cheating…

So let’s start with an easy one… and now the answers have been added 8/21/14.

Pop Artist #1 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Andy Warhol

 

Pop Artist #2 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Jasper Johns

 

Pop Artist #3 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Erro

 

Pop Artist #4 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Peter Max

 

Pop Artist #5 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Alex Katz

 

Pop Artist #6 : ______________    … ANSWER? : David Hockney

 

Pop Artist #7 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Allan D’Archangelo

 

Pop Artist #8 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Robert Indiana

 

Pop Artist #9 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Claes Oldenburg

 

Pop Artist #10 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Joe Tilson

 

Pop Artist #11 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Keith Haring

 

Pop Artist #12 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Nicholas Krushenick

 

Pop Artist #13 : ______________    … ANSWER? : George Segal

 

Pop Artist #14 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Patrick Caulfield

 

Pop Artist #15 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Peter Blake

 

Pop Artist #16 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Gerhard Richter

 

Pop Artist #17 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Jeff Koons

 

Pop Artist #18 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Jean Dubuffet

 

Pop Artist #19 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Richard Hamilton

 

Pop Artist #20 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Roy Lichtenstein

 

Pop Artist #21 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Robert Rauschenberg

 

Pop Artist #22 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Wayne Thiebaud

 

Pop Artist #23 : ______________    … ANSWER? : Sylvie Fleury

So, how did YOU do with this little “Pop Quiz”???
Betcha my Summer Campers will have them ALL by end of camp on Friday!!!

 

Today was Day One of my new week at Summer Camp.
I’ve got a whole new batch of fresh faces… sixteen new kids to play with
and maybe teach a thing or two to this week?!

This week’s theme is “Pop Art Sculptures.”
So these piles of cardboard & newspapers may just look like a mess now,
but by the end of the week I’m confident the kids will transform the “mess”
into some great sculptures!!! More to come…

Here’s a HUGE “update” reveal of the collaboration pieces that Cory McCrory and I are working on. These are Cory’s tiles with fun underglaze colors. The tiles have been bisqued… and now are waiting for glazing & another firing.

The FINAL REVEAL will happen at “Art In The Garden” in three weeks!!!
You got to stop by to see the collection of our Limited Edition collaboration pieces.

“Art In The Garden” : A Grassroots Art Fair
Saturday, August 30th & Sunday, August 31st – 10:00am-5:00pm
In the backyard of my friend & wonderful metalsmith Amy Taylor.
1205 Hutchings Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60025

Come spend the day in Amy’s backyard garden. A much more intimate setting than most “huge” art fairs. Just a group of friends hanging out and hoping that some of our friends & customers might stop by?!!!

You know how I LOVE to hear from my customers – and to see how they are using my work. It’s so nice to see my pottery being used in their homes. Some times in creative ways that I never even considered.

From Allison, one of my “Fans”…
We added silicone feet to the ceramic tile wall hanging board. Now we use it as a trivet!! We took the metal hanger off the back so the feet would fit better. It works like a charm! It inspired me to bake my favorite banana bread today, which complements the trivet beautifully. The only problem is, we need one more to complete the trivet set!!!! We will see you at the backyard garden sale in a few weeks Thank you again for making everything you do!! It looks awesome in our family home. Had to share my photos with you!

The weather was perfect this morning for a quick run downtown as Chris and I tackled the Chicago 10K.  A good, sweaty run for both of us. We started in Grant Park, then ran along the lakefront through Museum Campus south to 31st Street Beach. A quick turn-around and back to Grant Park for the Finish Line.

Ironically, they seemed to be “celebrating” National S’mores Day with some of the recovery snacks after the race… or at least in my mind they were “celebrating.” I know I will be later!!!

Yes, MY special day is finally here!!! Who knew???
It’s National S’mores Day… a special day to celebrate a very special treat.
What could be better that toasted marshmallows squished between graham crackers & chocolate?! Not much, right?!

Unfortunately, we who live in the City don’t always have access to a good campfire. And I’m not sure my neighbors would appreciate me lighting up one on the back deck of the condo building?! So while I still hope to “celebrate” with some toasted gooieness later today (even if it is in my fireplace?)… I did find a couple other “options” just in case. Can’t let the holiday go un-celebrated now can I?!