Another cloudy morning. But this time you could actually see the edge of the cloud front.
You know… that dotted line with triangle arrows that the weatherman shows on TV
and you never quite knew what he meant?!

Well, it’s this.
Clear on one side. Cloudy in the other. Insert dotted line here.

Meanwhile, the clouds were rolling through downtown…
taking out the tops of many of the buildings!

Glazed & loaded another kiln today.
This time, a cone 6 firing for a quick pop of color.
Just in time for the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival next weekend.

The centerpiece of Chicago’s Grant Park. Buckingham Fountain looked fantastic today. From the bike trail, the fountain looked really cool with the sun coming from behind. Part of the fun is how the water and the fountain looks so different from all different sides. The light playing off the water. The marble of the fountain glistening. The water spraying out all over the place… and with today’s wind, sprinkling all over the plaza.

On my ride home from the 57th Street Art Fair, I found these wonderful sculptures along the lakefront bike trail. Three large pieces by sculptor Alice Aycock. Fun sculptures are always a great addition to an already beautiful lakefront.

Today was a fun day down at the 57th Street Art Fair. I think it’s always fun to visit some of “My Talented Friends” at their art fairs on weekends when I’m free. Great art to see, and a fun time to show your support. We all know how long those art fair days can be… and a few minutes of “fun friend diversion” can make all the difference. So today I pedaled my bike down to Hyde Park for the fair. The tailwind getting there was fantastic… the return ride home wasn’t quite so much fun. A better workout though.

Sarah Chapman made her return to Chicago in style with her beautiful jewelry designs… and a fancy new award ribbon for her collection. Now based in Minneapolis, my friend Sarah has quite the following of loyal customers here in Chicago all seeking out her beautiful jewelry. Some of “us” have quite the collection of her work… and by “us” I mean ME.

Roberta Polfus was there with her beautiful “mini” carved vases, vessels and pods. All with such wonderful textures and glaze effects… and some really sweet flowers from her garden!

Metalsmith Amy Taylor specialized in sterling silver jewelry that incorporates hinges!!! Beautiful metal work and stunning stones come together for some pretty wonderful jewelry.

Delores Fortuna comes in from Galena for the show – along with her beautiful porcelain pottery.

And Nancy Gardner with her whimsically painted pieces with such a rich & wonderful color palette.

Today was a wonderful day. So much fun seeing all of my friends… and hanging out with Sarah & Jules. Nice weather too… but the prediction for tomorrow is not so good. The art fair organizers actually offered up an option to the artists to stay late on Saturday, and then pack-up early to avoid the storms. Unheard of. We’ll see what tomorrow brings… and how many of them decide to stick it out and how many decide to go home tonight?! Glad I went down there today…

You know it’s my favorite musical of all time…
But historically on this day back in 1832 the “barricade” fell during The June Rebellion.
It was a pivotal moment during The Paris Uprising of 1832.
Memorialized by Victor Hugo for millions to see on stage every time the curtain raises.

“Do you hear the people sing? Singing a song of angry men?
It is the music of a people who will not be slaves again!
When the beating of your heart echoes the beating of the drums.
There is a life about to start when tomorrow comes!”

Another “explosion” of color happening on my back porch.
Some beautiful gerbera daisies blooming in shades of red, orange & yellow!

Another stamped platter. Fresh out of the kiln tonight…
and ready for next weekend’s Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival.

Saturday, June 13th & Sunday, June 14th.
Burlington Park in beautiful downtown Hinsdale, Illinois

I’m continuing my Spring cleaning efforts. And a few more “non-perfect” pots were the “victims” of my efforts. The first batch of pottery shards were snatched up by some Facebook Fans VERY quickly!!! I’m looking forward to see what they “create” with the shards. I believe that this latest batch of shards will go towards the new bricolage project in the back staircase of Lillstreet Art Center

It’s tough for me to smash my own pots…
luckily, my Dad was more than willing to take care of “the dirty deed.”