Quiet & serene… no real clouds in the sky, no real waves on the lake. Just some beautiful sunrise reflections…. and a surprise sunrise proposal that I just happened to stumble upon! I was wondering why there were more people than usual “just hanging out” at Montrose for the sunrise this morning… several of them “hiding” in the wildflower area with cameras pointed at the couple sitting in chairs… and not the sunrise???

Oh yeah… and about that surprise engagement.
The guy had obviously set it up with his friends to hide in the weeds to capture photographs of the actual engagement… thus the hiding in the flowers! And here’s the happy couple…

Okay, so we’re off to a good start… a very productive morning. We all know I work best with a deadline. These all need to be ready in a week… sheesh!!!… and there’s a LOT of detailing to be done if these are going to be the next addition to the collection!

Morning sun on the wildflowers… with a bit of wildlife hanging out!

In my Intermediate Wheelthrowing class today, I did a little sgraffito carving demo for them… using my favorite DiamondCore Tools! They learned how to throw platters in class two weeks ago… it only seemed right that we “finish” the demo platter with a little “demo” sgraffito!!!

Okay, so I’ve been wondering if I have time to finish these… typically they’re done in time for ART IN THE BARN. But since art fair that was cancelled months ago… I’m going to try to get them done for ART IN THE GARDEN next weekend. Here we go… fingers crossed… GIDDY-UP!!!

Emboldened & encouraged by a great time at the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival this past weekend… next up we have ART IN THE GARDEN just over a week away! A wonderful grassroots art fair event in Glenview the last weekend of August.

More info to come… plus a few teasers on what we’ve been up to with our collaboration pieces… or you can always check the website for more details right now! www.grassrootsartfair.com . Mark your calendars!!!

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who came out to the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival this past weekend! It was amazing to see all of the smiling faces… err, masks… eager to get outside, to shop for some art and to support their favorite artists. It’s been a crazy time for all of us… and it felt amazing to have a small bit of “normal” under my art fair tent.

Huge thanks also to the organizers who did a wonderful job spacing out the booths so we all had plenty of social-distancing space… I had like thirty feet of “free-space” around all sides of my tent! Thanks to all of the art fair goers who wore their masks… to the shoppers who bought pottery… and to my loyal followers & friends who made the trip to brighten my day, share a smile, a “smize” and a virtual hug!

A wonderful weekend… I felt safe, protected and a small step closer to “normal”… whatever that may be these days?! Thanks again Hinsdale!!!

Mother Nature’s entry for another TEXTURE TUESDAY!

And what’s better than a fun day at an art fair?… when friends drive two hours from Central Illinois just to see me, my pottery AND they bring homemade fudge!!! Plain chocolate & chocolate-marshmallow fudge!!! So yummy… fresh from Maurie’s Candy Shop down in Eureka, Illinois.

I love good friends & good fudge!!!
Thanks Keith & Julie so good to see you… and your fudge!!!

It was so nice to finally get outside to an art fair today!
So good to fly my flag. To show off my pottery.
To sell some pottery. To see them off to a good home.
To see so many friends & customers again. To see so many MASKS!!!

The HINSDALE FINE ARTS FESTIVAL today was my first outdoor fair since the pandemic cancelled & postponed everything! A small sense of “normal”… along with proper precautions, social-distancing & hand disinfecting! And we get to do it all over again tomorrow! We’re in Hinsdale again tomorrow from 10:00an-5:00pm in Booth #48.

C’mon by… I would love to see you… and your MASK!!!