Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: glaze, platters, pottery

And I mean… who doesn’t LOVE a great spiral???

Categories: glaze, platters, stamped

Showing off the last of my “surprise” Christmas gifts. All have been delivered, all surprises done! Apparently it was a year for making PLATES!!! These stamped plates turned put pretty sweet, and FLAT! I think I re-learned a valuable lesson. Plates don’t always stay flat in the soda kiln. Much easier to glaze them and fire them on flat kiln shelves.

Categories: classes, lillstreet, pottery, wheelthrowing

Looking to find a little more zen & calm in your 2021???…
don’t forget a new session of pottery classes start next week at Lillstreet Art Center. My Beginning & Intermediate classes are already full, but there is still space in my Advanced Wheelthrowing class on Thursday mornings from 10:00am-1:00pm. Click on the link if you want to improve your skills, streamline your techniques, or just relax & get muddy with us starting next week!

Click here – Advanced Wheelthrowing classes!

Categories: food

But then I just found out that there might be something out there to brighten our days!!! So much craziness going on out there… who couldn’t benefit from a little sugar therapy? I mean… three layers, three flavors!. I’m in!!!

We’ve been running a little low on our OREO quotient through the holidays, especially with new “no-food-sharing” COVID restrictions at Lillstreet. So I guess if I find these tasty treats… I guess I’ll have to eat them all by myself?! Oh shucks! Let the search begin… QUICK!!!

Oh wait… and for you cookie-challenged folks out there… BROOKIE.
That’s Brownie & Chocolate Chip Cookie combined!!! Who doesn’t love that?!!!

Categories: inspiration

We were all so excited to see the end of 2020…
not all that much better, huh?!

Categories: food, friends

Looks like another yummy handmade meal on some handmade pottery! Warm winter meals coming together down in Peoria. A little chicken pot pie on a little chicken pot POTTERY!!!

Categories: ornaments

So much fun to see that one of my Christmas ornaments has found a place of honor (and glamour) in someone’s house. Apparently it’s become part of the BLING year-round!!! Thanks for sharing Jacob!

Categories: creativity, glaze, inspiration

When Matthew got to the bottom of his cup…
it was an “out of this world” experience!

He saw a resemblance to the planet Neptune
in the bottom of his cup where the glaze pooled together!

Too funny – thanks for sharing Matthew!!!

Categories: color, process

So I’ve added the powdered dye… some right on top of the shirts, others on top of the ice. Some will drip right through the white plastic grate, while others will sit in the “muck” puddle for a longer time. The longer in the muck the better the saturation… I believe?

It’s kinda like glazing pottery… you add the color and hope for the best. It’s out of my control at this point. But like I tell my students… “Just because it’s not what you expected, does NOT mean that it’s bad.”

Categories: color

A new session of pottery classes start next week… so maybe I “need” a new wardrobe?! Starting up another batch of tie-dyed shirts for the studio! Folded, twisted & tied in different styles, then sprinkled with powdered dye for some ice-dyeing overnight!!!

These will all get covered with cubed ice… which then melts and dissolves the dye into the shirts. It’s all very random… so maybe not the best process for someone who might have some “control issues”… asking for a friend