Last week my class tackled sgraffito for the first time!
They worked on cylinders and then were challenged to throw and finish a sgraffito platter by next Thursday.

So last night I was at the studio and I saw a handful of my students working hard on their assignment. So good to see them all taking the challenge to heart… and helping each other so much. So supportive. So encouraging. But then the Throwdown Challenge was Thrown Back at ME!!! One of my students challenged me to do the sgraffito platter challenge as well. And you know how I LOVE a challenge!!!

I’m in.
So last night I threw my porcelain platter… and tried to dry it a bit faster than normal.

After awhile, I added a band of black slip along the perimeter. This will be the “canvas” for my sgraffito decoration. Now I just need to figure out a plan… what my design is going to be.

Oh yeah, and I need to find some time to work on this before Thursday night’s class?!!!!
That’s the really tough part!

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It was SO pretty yesterday morning, that I thought I’d repeat again today as it was another morning with not a single cloud in the sky!!! But there are some new tents being built down on North Avenue Beach for this weekend’s POLAR PLUNGE. And no, for the record, I will NOT be plunging! I may be crazy, but…

Clear skies. Clear sailing… err, well, clear biking.
Another beautiful sunrise bike ride without a cloud in the sky!…
and a small glimmer of hope that just maybe Winter is done wreaking havoc on us?

A fun “photo shoot” time at the Peoples Gas Education Pavilion just south of the Zoo. The sun was at just the right place to illuminate the amazing structure. Timing is everything… and a cool structure sure helps too!

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It was a beautiful day today. Blue skies as far as you can see. A bit windy, perhaps even gusty… but it felt SO great to get out to play along the Lakefront today. A real gift towards the end of February!

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After an hour of class time spent carving, each of the cylinders were considered “done”…
at least for the challenge. Ready for judging and Throwdown Points!

Special thanks to our surprise Guest Judge Darlys Ewoldt from the Lillstreet Metals Dept.
Her design sensibilities and attention to detail really came in handy!

Prior to this “Sgraffito Surprise” they also did a platter throwing challenge with six pounds of clay. Which they “assumed” would be a challenge for points. I told them we were going for widest diameter. But never more details. We left them to “stiffen up” on the wheels while we moved to the tables for this “Sgraffito Surprise.” When the points were awards… then next challenge was revealed…

The platter throwing challenge was really just a w ay for them to make a great “canvas” for themselves. SO I told them they needed to paint a layer of dark slip on their own platters. And now they have a week to carve a sgraffito design onto their platters for judging and points next Thursday night!!!

Here are the carved & decorated cylinders at then end of their hour challenge…

And then the big winner… with her VERY FIRST sgraffito attempt ever!!!
“Peggy Burnish-ine” for the WIN!!!

And of course the whimsical “addition” of a marshmallow PEEP as a handle
could only give her some added bonus points!!!

Special thanks to the folks at  Springfield Pottery for supplying some of our sgraffito visual inspiration for the evening. And for inspiring “Peggy Burnish-ine” to borrow some ideas for her first sgraffito attempt ever!!! A beautiful homage to the sgraffito genius of Jennifer Falter!

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Last week in my POTTERY THROWDOWN class, I surprised my students with the “SGRAFFITO SURPRISE”!!! We talked briefly about sgraffito and looked at some examples. And then I “sprung it on them”… one hour to decorate a black slip covered cylinder I had prepped prior to class. So much to watch how each of them approached the challenge… and tackled the blank canvas with some sharp carving tools.

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Another “sweet” night in class…
Not only was it a big night for the LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class…
but we also had plenty of OREO treats!!! Easter snacks as well as some OREOs “imported” all the way from Costa Rica!!!

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Okay, so those cylinders I made yesterday actually do have a purpose… SURPRISE!!!

I’ve coated the outsides of the cylinders with black slip. The perfect blank “canvas”
for my class tonight as tonight’s POTTERY THROWDOWN is going to tackle sgraffito!!!

Everyone gets a cylinder. Everyone has to carve a beautiful sgraffito design…
with a one hour time limit!!! Class starts in a minute or two… so I guess it’s safe
to reveal the surprise now?!

SGRAFFITO SURPRISE!!!

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Tonight we saw the sequel. The first Phantom was AMAZING!!!…
this one, not quite so much.

Enjoyable, but not quite amazing. But what I DID learn tonight..
apparently love never dies… and it never dies… it never dies… never dies!!!

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