Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: process, production, tools

Hanging out in the studio tonight watching The Emmy’s… happily trimming with my DiamondCore Tools… so smooth, so sharp, so crisp! Surprisingly, The Emmy’s aren’t too painful to watch without anyone there! Glad I have some more mug cylinders to trim though… a nice diversion when an acceptance speech drags on a bit!!!

Categories: glaze, process, studio

Did a little glazing tonight… and kinda loving how the sprayed glazes
bead-up so quickly on the pre-waxed bottom!

Categories: bowls, food

What could be better than a hot fudge sundae on a Sunday?! TWO hot fudge sundaes… in handmade pottery bowls. Looking yummy Gerry & Rosene!!!

Categories: flowers, nature

Enjoying some of the wild “sunflowers” blooming along the lakefront. Not quite sure, but I’m guessing they’re somewhere between sunflowers & black-eyed susans?! Either way… BEAUTIFUL!!! And apparently the bees like them too!!!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Clear skies. Not a cloud in the sky.
Another beautiful start to the day.

Categories: bowls, process, production, stamped, stamps

Spent a little time making some more bowls. They’ve were thrown yesterday and kept under-wraps overnight. So today they were just a little too damp to stamp. But after leaving them set out for a half hour or so, they were good to go. So I did some stamping… because I’m addicted… and because MORE IS MORE!!!

So here they are… before… after… and the stamp that did most of the work!!!

BOWL ONE

BOWL TWO

BOWL THREE

BOWL FOUR

BOWL FIVE

BOWL SIX

BOWL SEVEN

So for now, they’re all back under plastic so they can dry a bit slower. They still need to be trimmed & dried… and then bisque fired… glazed… and fired again! Still a ways to go – but they’re looking pretty good so far!

Categories: clay, process, studio

Another day of reclaiming my clay scraps & trimmings! They’ve been soaking & slaking down for awhile now, and finally to the right consistency to lay out on my oversized plaster bat. So for the next few days it will be drying out a bit… and then the real fun begins.

LOTS OF WEDGING to come!!!

Categories: Chicago, workout

Another beautiful day in Chicago. Still a little on the cool side, but perfect for an afternoon jog along the lake… less sweaty when it’s a bit cooler! Beautiful sights along the way… but now that I’m home, I’ve got to focus… and get into the studio tonight!!! Gotta get some work done… as I’ve been playing hooky a bit too much lately!!!

Starting with a beautiful view of Lake Michigan from Loyola University…

And the church at Loyola University…

Some beautiful late summer flowers…

And some crazy seed pods on some kind of a bush. Anyone have any clue as to what kind of plant this is?! It looks a little too much like a Coronavirus molecule for my liking. Just sayin’…

And this is apparently what things have come to… when parents need to figure out new ways to take on the role of teaching their kids!

Some wonderfully whimsical “embellishments” along a cement wall at Tobey Prinz Beach. A little tough to see… but wonderful for those with a keen eye!

The cooler weather today also makes it wonderful at the beach…
I practically had the whole beach to myself. Easy to enjoy the natural setting and stay safe & socially-distant at the same time… when there’s no one there to be socially-distant from!!!

And SO EXCITING!!!
I found my very first beach glass MARBLE today!!!

Plus I spotted a little “gallery” of painted beach rocks. It will be interesting to see how this grows over the next few weeks. And I feel as though I might just need to add one of my own in the next couple weeks!!!

So here’s the additions to my new “quarantine collection” of beach glass. I started finding it when I had to mix-up my morning bike ride up towards the beaches of Evanston & beyond. And by now I have quite the collection started!!!

Categories: artists, lillstreet

Last night was the Opening Reception featuring Cassie Tompkins the Textile Dept. Artist-In-Residence in the Lillstreet 2nd Floor Annex Gallery… socially-distant with lots of face masks of course!

I posted photos of the shibori dyed panels before… but the colorful floral patterns are new & very fun!!! Luckily, I get to walk past them every day when I go to my studio! A whimsical way to brighten the second floor!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Crisp & clear & breezy with just a few clouds in the sky. Definitely feels like Fall. Even though it’s “technically” still Summer… at least for a couple more days!