It seems like I go through this every session…
I’ve got a lot of class demo pots to glaze. And I keep putting it off.
So tonight I pulled them all off my Teacher Shelf and planned on glazing them all.
I had the best intentions… really I did…

I dusted them all off and waxed all the bottoms. I started “planning” on what colors & glazes I was going to use. Then I started chatting with my friend (and brilliant painter/sculptor) Martin and soon enough… voila’… motivation gone!

So once again, much like every session, I packed up my bowls, layered them with newspaper and back they went onto my Teacher’s Shelf. Maybe I’ll try it again tomorrow night?!

I hate glazing.

No room for more scraps & trimmings when the bucket’s full. Another pile of reclaimed clay piled up on my plaster bat tonight. Too much for my usual large bat, so I had to add on a little “extension” on the side! It’s a strange mix of clays… a couple varieties of stonewares, some with iron, some with ochre, some B-Clay and some porcelain scraps for good measure! All cone 10 clay bodies so we’re good.

My how time flies…
Doesn’t see that long ago that Ally Sheedy was making it snow…

Click here for a video flashback on YouTube… “Don’t You (Forget About Me)”.

It’s Spring… but we have a layer of Winter snow.
This is crazy… even the birds think so…

Okay, so we’re three days into Spring…
and yet we all woke up to a snowstorm this morning in Chicago.

At least it looks like Spring in my condo as my orchid finally decided to open today
& re-bloom for the first time!!!

Tumblers trimmed and accented with colored slip… drying overnight. These will go into my next soda kiln, so those “subtle” colors will change a lot when they flash in the soda firing atmosphere. Or at least that’s my hope…

I’ve been toying with some new pieces in my studio. We’ve talked a lot about spoons around the studio over the past year since NCECA Milwaukee. I must admit that it’s been a lot of talk… and not much spoon-making. Until now.

Here’s my first batch of spoons – still needing some refinement and firing!
So far… I’m kinda digging spoon!!!

It was a productive day in the studio today. A large batch of tumblers thrown & stamped. Some in soda clay, some with B-Clay. All waiting to be trimmed & painted with accents of colored slip.

This morning was colder than expected as the cold winds were blowing in off the lake. With some dramatic clouds moving quickly, it was a race to see which would win?!… the sunrise or total cloud-cover?

Turns out we had a pretty underwhelming gray & cloudy day!

My favorite movie in 3rd Grade was “The Red Balloon.” We watched it during a school assembly and I was mesmerized. The simple story has stuck with me for years.

So I was excited, and quickly transported back to 3rd Grade, when I saw this whimsical table on Colossal.com. Sure, the kid may have only had ONE Red Balloon… but since then, it looks like they’ve multiplied to make this wonderful table!!!

According to Colossal.com…
The UP Balloon Coffee Table designed by Duffy London cleverly creates the illusion of a glass tabletop supported by 11 helium balloons. The balloons and strings in the UP Balloons table are actually made from steel rods and metal resin composite, creating a sturdy base. Duffy plans to make only 25 tables and they’re available in red, gold, and silver balloons.