Another faithful Facebook Fan sharing a Selfie all the way from Ft. Myers Beach. She looks so warm, sunny & tropical… as I’m here in Chicago bracing for another overnight Winter storm! Thanks Carol for sharing your PMI photo… now if you could just share some of that Florida sunshine too!!!

Anyone else up for the Selfie Challenge??? Just e-mail me a Selfie of you with your copy of POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED!!! Send to gary@firewhenreadypottery.com

A quiet morning along the lakefront.
A cool breeze blowing through and some gentle waves splashing along the shoreline.

Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE trimming??? No seriously… I do…

I’ve always been intrigued by installation art that incorporates a LOT of pieces!
And these wonderful ceramic pieces are pretty darn incredible. Such wonderful details, colors and textures. So amazing when they’re all put together into one amazing installation!!!

According to ThisIsColossal.com…
“Doubling as an artist and ocean advocate, Courtney Mattison produces large-scale ceramic installations that draw attention to conservation of our planet’s seas. Her latest installation “Aqueduct” showcases hundreds of porcelain sea creatures including anemones, sponges, and coral sprouting from a porcelain air duct. The piece asks us to imagine the plight of these undersea creatures as tropical sea temperatures begin to rise, asking where they might migrate to once their homes have been rendered uninhabitable.”

Click here to see the full article on www.thisiscolossal.com.

And some detailed looks at some of the amazing details of Courtney Mattison’s work…

Congratulations to the first person to respond to my “PMI Call For Selfies”!
Special thanks to Reid Brinton who has been potting since 2002 in Gilbert, Arizona.
“Gonna make some stamps and sprigs real soon and add some new language to my pots. Fantastic job you’re doing by the way.”

Anyone else up for the Selfie Challenge??? Just e-mail me a Selfie of you with your copy of POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED!!! Send to gary@firewhenreadypottery.com

Another dozen mugs done. Dried and waiting for the bisque kiln.

Here we go…. the second month… February… second of twelve…
And another batch of holiday ornaments made by me &  four of My Talented Friends.
Remember, we’ve all signed-on for a Monthly Holiday Ornament Challenge.
The plan is for each of us to make a new ornament each month of the year.
We’re two months in… one sixth of the way!!!

My Talented Friend : Cory McCrory
Cory embraces our second month of ornaments with a wonderful batch of textured & constructed ornaments. They’re amazing so far!!! And I LOVE them… so I’m sorry, but there may not be any of these left to share with anyone else after I buy them all from Cory!!!  Ha!!!

My Talented Friend : Sarah Chapman
This month, Sarah takes a more “natural” approach with a beautiful stone and “twig.”
Some stylized wire-work and voila… another beautiful ornament by Miss Chapman.
I’m sure this one will really glisten in the sun… or Christmas lights?!

My Talented Friend : Roberta Polfus
Roberta continued her love affair with porcelain & carving. Her ornaments could make a beautiful Christmas Constellation if you promised someone the “moon and stars.”

My Talented Friend : Amy Taylor
Amy takes another spin on her already popular ADORBS Collection…
this time looking forward to Spring with that one ADORB-able eye!

My Talented Friend : … oh wait, it’s ME!!!
And for my February ornament, I’ve been making some porcelain snowflakes. The stamping is giving them a sort of knit texture. I’m hoping to glaze them with a clear glaze that will make them shine with a very slight cool blue hue.

So there they are… the ornaments of My Talented Friends Cory, Sarah, Roberta & Amy. Be sure to check out their websites. They’re all in the LINKS section in the far right column. And they all have fun Facebook pages too. Find your favorites & follow them everywhere!

And oh, but wait there’s more!!!
Remember, the ceramic folks have a little tougher time actually finishing their ornaments due to kiln firing schedules. So we’re frequently posting the dried greenware versions monthly. And then, once they get glazed & fired, I’ll post the “finished” results here too.

Like this one… a few finished January beauties from Cory McCrory!!!

By now everyone should have gotten their latest copy of POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED. So here’s the challenge… send me a Selfie of you and your magazine!!! I’d love to see how far this magazine has traveled. Send your Selfie to gary@firewhenreadypottery.com. Thanks in advance… and let the games begin!!!

By now I’m sure you’ve figured out that I was recently published in POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED. I was lucky enough to get the full center spread in the March/April issue. Pretty exciting… my first time in their magazine!

Huge thanks to the fine folks at POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED for recruiting me for their publication. It has been such a fun project for me to work on, and to share my work with a wider audience. Hopefully the magazine with inspire some people to throw some clay on THEIR walls… and then send me some photos of the result!!!

Click here to go to the POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED website.
It’s full of wonderful tips, techniques & tricks for potters of all experience levels. Great ideas being shared by a lot of gifted & giving potters. It’s a great online resource for potters of all levels.

Or you can click here to go to MY article in the magazine!
Because you know this little blog is really all about ME after all… tee-hee.

Or you can just read my article here... so many options…

Originally published in Pottery Making Illustrated, Mar/Apr, 2016. http://potterymaking.org. Copyright, The American Ceramic Society. Reprinted with permission.

Wispy clouds moving through. Big sky. Big photo.