I had a great “surprise” visit from a budding potter from Nova Scotia yesterday. She follows along on Facebook and found herself in Chicago for a conference. So she stopped by and luckily I was around to meet her, chat and give her a quick tour. So much fun to meet some of my Facebook friends in person! Plus, she now has two nice mugs going home with her to Canada!

Clear skies this morning. Not a cloud in the sky. Beautiful, but no sunrise “sky show.”

Here we go…. our fifth month… May.
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.
I think it was a little tougher this month for many of us as we were all prepping for the kick-off of the art fair season… but somehow, we all squeezed them in!!!

My Talented Friend : Cory McCrory
Cory went back to her roots a bit… and revisited clay fish! When I first met Cory MANY years ago, we were both at the Hinsdale Arts Festival and she was making fish. I know have a whole school… and a great friend!!! This month Cory also shares a step-by-step photo tour of her ornament production. Starting with a few sketches & maquettes…

And then the fish started taking shape… piece by piece, fin by fin…

Then underglaze colors to really bring them to life!!!

A – DOR – A – BLE – !!! Must have at least a few!!!

And now she’s just showing off… but… Cory went one step even further and glazed & fired her fish for this month’s entry!!! It’s typically tough for we ceramic people to get things made & fired in a timely basis to meet this monthly challenge. But somehow, Cory was an over-achiever this month!!!

My Talented Friend : Sarah Chapman
For May, Sarah went a little twisty with her ornament. Holes, twists, curves, beautiful.
THese would look especially cool on one of those Orna-Motions that rotates ornaments.

My Talented Friend : Roberta Polfus
Roberta went a little organic this month. Adorable little cactii and succulents. Like miniature versions of her already “mini” pods & shapes. So cute. Can’t wait to see these after they’ve been glazed.

My Talented Friend : Amy Taylor
Amy continued with her ornate & stunning metal ornaments for May. A beautiful trio of holiday glamour. Each one with a beautiful, swively hinge on the top.

My Talented Friend : … oh wait, it’s ME again!!!
And for my May ornaments, I went with textured ornaments. Three sides with three different patterns. I got them built in time, but haven;t quite had time to paint them with colored flashing slips. These will be destined for my next soda kiln… but I’ve got add some color to them first.

So there they are… May 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!

One of my favorite booths today at the 57th Street Art Fair was that of Robin Kittleson. I met Robin a few years back when she was across the aisle from me at Art In The Barn in Barrington. Now generally I’m not a huge fan of fused glass. So frequently it’s very bright, kinda geometric and more than a little gaudy. And then there’s Robin’s amazing twist on fused glass. Her pieces are amazing!!! The colors. The designs. The intricacy. Amazing!!!

She may have just won me over… maybe fused glass CAN BE a lot cooler than I thought?

Click here to see a sneak peek into Robin’s process.
And then click here to see more of her work on her website – www.robinkittleson.com

Just surprised the Birthday Girl in her booth at the 57th Street Art Fair. Stop by Booth 608 today or tomorrow to wish her well… and she LOVES when you sing loudly!!! Happy Birthday my talented friend Sarah Chapman!!!

A wonderful night of musical theater at Marriott Lincolnshire…
and yes, I did sing-along the whole time.

Remember the good old days when you liked to pull out the colored pencils and a coloring book?! Well, now you can do it again and support my friend & fellow artist Allison by supporting her Kickstarter campaign. “DAYDREAMERS” is an original coloring book drawn by Allison and her partner in Artillicious! Grab one quick before they’re gone. Relax… Doodle… And support the arts all at the same time!

Click here to go to their Kickstarter campaign page : ARTILLICIOUS

A beautiful morning ride full of sunrise silhouettes.

A cloudy morning makes for a beautiful sky show. Love the colors. Love the reflections…
and how beautiful the City looked with the morning sun. What a difference a day makes!

After last night’s outrageous potluck, I felt compelled (and obligated) to head out on my bike this morning regardless of the clouds. I could tell that it had recently drizzled, but I was hoping that the clouds might blow over?!

Apparently not.
As I got drenched when the skies opened and rained about two minutes after this photo… and all the way home!