The other two-pots-thrown-as-one demo was a large chip & dip bowl.
So it’s now stamped and “drying” slowly in my studio… waiting to be trimmed.

This week’s class demos were about two-piece pots thrown as one. Like this large flower pot with an attached water tray. I threw the pot in class, but did the stamping later in my studio after it had stiffened up a bit.

Yesterday morning was clear & very orange. Beautiful rippled reflections.
An incredible summer day in Chicago!!!

So I’ve collected another batch of clay scraps & trimmings.
I’ve dried them and smashed them as small as possible. Time to add some water so that the dried clay can slake down. I’ll leave it sit for a week or so and then turn it out onto a plaster bat so it can stiffen back up into “new” and usable clay!

Not a cloud in the sky this morning. Just a clear glow of that very special shade of “sunrise orange”!!! I wonder if there’s a PMS number for that???

Finished “detailing” a few more mugs this evening with accents of colored flashing slips. They’re now drying and waiting for a trip into my next bisque kiln.

Clouds. Clouds. And more clouds… yet very cool.

This morning was clouded, chilly and windy. Definitely not your normal mid-August summer day. Instead, I had to wear a long-sleeved bike jersey!!! Still worth the trip as the colors “seeped” under the clouds to add some color to the lower horizon line.

Then, as the clouds broke up a bit, the sun came streaming through for a few minutes. Only to be shrouded by clouds once more.

Exactly one week later…  and I’m back for another healthy dose of Cirque du Soleil.
And coincidentally, the seats that we have this time are EXACTLY the same as last time?! My parents ordered the tickets online, and my niece Taylor was sitting in MY seat from last time.

Kinda fun to see the show for a second time. To see the things you missed the first time. And to watch for any small differences in the performance. It is live after all.. so something’s gotta be different!!!

Also fun to see it with my sister Jen and my niece Taylor. It was their first time under Le Grand Chapiteau! Jen has seen some of the shows in Las Vegas, but never a traveling show under the tent. And for Taylor this was her first time seeing Cirque du Soleil live EVER!!! Also their first time enjoying circus popcorn with chocolate M&M’s sprinkled all over… yep, my doing!!!

The show was wonderful again as expected. There were a few differences. Some of which I was not pleased with. But no one else would probably even notice. For some reason, the juggler at the beginning who does his “duet” with the drummer was nowhere to be found. No juggler ever?! And the “Aviator” character who did the traditional tubes & planks balancing act on a non-traditional swing… did hand-balancing on that same swing?! No tubes. No planks. Same actor. Same costume. Similar, but different… and sadly, not quite as exciting.

Otherwise, our evening under the Big Top for KURIOS was fun for the family. My parents enjoyed the show, and Jen & Taylor loved their “first” Cirque du Soleil experiences!!! And I can never get enough!!!

There were a lot of clouds this morning. Lots of different kinds of clouds.
Dark clouds. Light clouds. Fast-moving clouds. Slow-lingering clouds.
Either way, they made for a beautiful sky show of color this morning.

The clouds were rolling in quick. And the blustery winds made it feel like “something” was definitely blowing through Chicago. Luckily, the fast-moving clouds made a perfect canvas for the colors to play on. as well as a proscenium dark frame for contrast & drama.

As the imposing cloud moved through, the sun gave a golden glimmering performance.
Albeit short-lived. Soon enough, the huge cloud dissipated aand the sky show went back to “normal.”

And