Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: bike, sunrise

More blue skies…
this time with wispy clouds and a chance for the sun to make a grand appearance.

With a dark cloud slanted along the horizon, the clouds lit up…
and then the sun came piercing through.

Categories: process, production, stamps

Another night with some colored slip accents.
The top of the bottle, as well as a small dab of color in every stamp.
Still getting ready for my next soda kiln.

Categories: bike, sunrise

After a whirlwind tour of Dallas…
just about a full twenty-four hours of “glitter gig” fun…
it was great to be back on my bike yesterday to enjoy the recent time change.

Too bad the clouds weren’t playing along.
Just a lot of gray. And a LOT of wind.

Beautiful blues at the start of my ride.
Dingy grays towards the end of my ride.… and still no sign of a sun rising anywhere?!!!

Categories: artists, friends

My friend Kristen has a couple wonderful kids… and a wonderful idea!
Her son AJ is adorable… AND asking for a HUGE set of Legos for Christmas.
But he’s old enough to learn the truth and work hard to get the “set of his dreams.”

So Kristen made him a deal. And set him on his path of fundraising and art.
If you have a chance to stop by to support my friend AJ… and be a patron of his blossoming art career… please mark your calendar for this coming Friday evening.

Beat Kitchen : 2100 West Belmont, Chicago.
Friday, November 7th
– 6:00pm-Midnight.

Here’s a little more background from my friend Kristen…

Dear Friends, Fellow Teachers and Artists,
 
You may have heard that this year AJ asked for an elaborate Lego Robotics set that cost upwards of $350. My knee jerk answer was “absolutely not”. But several conversations later  (including the truth about Santa) I agreed to meet him halfway if he could raise the other half by Christmas (and this set would also be his birthday present…aren’t I mean?!). 
 
This launched him into extra projects for me around the house, earning a dollar here and a dollar there, but it was slow going. Then he had a couple of sales on the sidewalk…the requisite lemonade stand, and then…the ART SALE! The art sale generated the most money by far, $11 more than any of his previous money-making attempts! Word got out via Facebook and our friend Zach saw his drawings. And so the idea was hatched to have a 2-man show to exhibit and sell Zach and AJ’s drawings together! 
 
As people who make art, support the arts, or have helped foster these things in AJ, who have been a part of our lives for a short or long time, or who have always been kind and supportive of his creative mind, I hope you will try to make it to his first ever public art exhibit: Venus Flytraps, Bugs and People Doing Things Around the House. It would mean a lot to him (and to me) to see you there. Just stop by or stay the whole time. It’s up to you. All work will be for sale at very affordable prices ($10 and up), so bring some cash or a checkbook if you’d like to shop. 
 
Thanks and we hope to see you there!
Kristen and AJ

Categories: art fair, special events

I just ordered the postcards for my Holiday Home Show…
guess this makes it official.

Mark your calendars for November 22nd & 23rd at my place!!!

Categories: nature, photography, seasons

Last Sunday was STUNNING.
Sunny, clear and full of Fall color everywhere you looked.
But with the sudden decline of the weather this week… cold, rain, gusty winds and even snow… I’m pretty sure this is the last of the Fall colors we’ll see this year. I hope you enjoy my Fall photo tour along the lakefront from last Sunday… and that it might keep you “warm” through the frozen months to come!

Categories: holiday, ornaments, production

Today I finished up my latest batch of Christmas ornaments. A little more detailing, hand-built caps and some color slip accents. Drying now, but will soon go into my next soda kiln firing. Just in time for my Holiday Home Show the weekend before Thanksgiving. Mark your calendar… November 22nd & 23rd, 2014.

Categories: production, studio

Another batch of bottles… and a couple new vases today!

Categories: bike, Chicago

After yesterday’s crashing waves, looks like there’s some residual damage along the bike path. It’s going to make this stretch of my morning ride a bit “bumpier” than normal!!! Let’s hope they fix this stretch between Oak Street & North Avenue quickly!

Categories: classes

In the category of “classroom crazy”…  I saw this sign last night on a student’s shelf. It made me laugh as though they thought someone might randomly decide to grab the piece off the shelf, take it all the way to the other end of the building to fire it in the kiln for no apparent reason?! Really? Not to be out-done by the brilliant organizational skills evident in the surrounding shelf “space”… or lack of therein.