Not as colorful as their fellow windowsill orchids, but these sweet dendrobium orchids are finally re-blooming too! Not to be outdone by their showier phalaneopsis friends! Again, green thumb “neglect” with a stamped & soda-fired flowerpot seems to be the secret!

Last week in my Beginning Wheelthrowing class, we threw larger bowls. And then last night, we did a bit of stamping on the same larger bowl demo piece. My students have already made bowls & made their own stamps… now they just need to put it all together!

Drama in the skies! Some wonderful clouds blowing through the City this morning. A bit of a headwind for the first half… before I did a quick turn-around as it started to drizzle a little down by Ohio Street Beach. I know I won’t “melt” in a little drizzle… but you never know if it’s going to turn into a sudden Spring deluge! The clouds were coming in quick… so I pedaled home a little quicker!

Today I did a bit of stamping… surprise, surprise… and added a row of textured fun to the oversized flower pot I made in my ADVANCED WHEELTHROWING class last night. Next up… trimming, flashing slip and a water drip tray!

Well lookie here… there’s a lot of great potters getting together to put on a brand new NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR! Many of them I already know as “My Talented Friends”… the others I can’t wait to add to that list! So many potters, so many pots, so much talent all in one Pottery Tour. Going virtual this year June 18-20th… but looking forward to a full on-location Pottery Tour in 2022. More details to come… and check us out at www.northernilpotterytour.com

Celebrating a little TEXTURE TUESDAY with a wonderful cement-block carving I found along the lakefront. In Chicago, a lot of the shoreline is protected by oversized cement blocks that also make seating areas. This block has been carved with some traditional imagery… no idea how long something like this would take?!

Also last night in class, one of my students got one of her plates back from the glaze kiln… after a visit on “The Show-Off Shelves” at Lillstreet! We were all enamored with Kim’s beautiful stamping & throwing… but even more, that stunning combination of glazes and how they work in all the right places!!! Well done Kimberly – so beautiful!!! Now you need to make MORE of these beauties!!!

Last night in my ADVANCED WHEELTHROWING class, we tackled throwing LARGE!!! One of my students requested the demo for a large flower pot. When I asked Kelly to estimate just “how large” she was thinking… and she said about the size of a five-gallon bucket. So that was my demo-challenge… and I think we accomplished it pretty well. I still need to do a bit of detailing, stamping & trimming… and throw a water tray to go underneath.

Now it’s Kelly’s turn… CHALLENGE ON!!!

So is THIS the glamorous part of being self-employed?! Just finished teaching class… now hoping to make the deadline! Like a whole month’s extension wasn’t quite enough time??? Sheesh!

So exciting to see when your students take on your teachings, lessons & encouragement to create a masterpiece like this! It’s always encouraging to see when they can use “my influences” and yet make it their own style… instead of just replicating MY style!

Thank you Christine… I can’t wait to see this plate again after it is glazed & fired! Another stunning piece… with just a “little” stamping… good to see you “got the memo” on MORE IS MORE!!!