And what better way to end an evening with friends than with some yummy deep dish pizza from Lou Malnati’s?! Great fun & conversation combined with gooey cheese, tomatoes, spinach, butter crust & garlic dressing as a dipping sauce!!!

And if that weren’t enough… there “might” have been some frozen custard at Lickety Split that followed… allegedly.

The third member of the Sculpture Show in Evanston this weekend was Steve Skinner from Black Tree Studio Pottery… and it was these large platters on the wall with miniature houses that caught my attention. For more information on Steve’s work, click on www.blacktreestudiopottery.com

As part of the Sculpture Show in Evanston this weekend, another one of “My Talented Friends” was showing off her sculptural work too. Darlys Ewoldt makes these amazing metal sculptures… hollow forms assembled & colored. I have no real concept of how she makes metal do this… but they are always crazy cool forms that draw you right into them! For more work by Darlys, click on her website at www.darlysewoldt.com

So much fun to spend time with one of “My Talented Friends” today… as metalsmith Sarah Chapman was part of a sculpture show this weekend in Evanston. I had the chance to swing by today to see Sarah with some of her newest work, sculptural pieces & beautiful jewelry. To see more of Sarah’s amazing metal work, click on www.chapmanmetals.com

Meanwhile, back at camp… last week in my morning Wheelthrowing Camp, it looks like I might have a young protege in the making?!!! My summer campers were trimming & decorating their wheelthrown pots on Friday, and suddenly Umah started making this gem of a stamped bowl.

She may have a few more years to go…
but maybe she’ll make a great apprentice some day???

And just when you thought young Cullen’s handbuilt mugs couldn’t get any cuter… we painted them with colored slip on Friday. We finished off this week of summer camp with such focus & determination… making his family the perfect gifts!!!

Another hazy, hot & humid morning along the lakefront. Trying to get some sunrise miles in before the heat really settles in for the day. Another “sweaty” sunrise shrouded in the clouds

After a night of slip painting, there’s now another batch of mugs drying in my studio. Just getting ready for my upcoming September art fairs… ART IN THE GARDEN and ART IN THE BARN. Two favorite shows… and a lot of new mugs coming soon!

Did a bit of detailing tonight with colored flashing slips on a new batch of mugs! A layer of slip around the top rim & some stamp highlights. The colored flashing slips will react to the soda-firing atmosphere in my next kiln load… hopefully creating some great colored details.

So I decided to go for a bike ride today… seemingly through the hottest & most humid part of the day! Why?… who knows?!

I was a big sweaty mess… but so happy to find this secluded “rock beach” down on the far South Side… as I had the entire place to myself?!!! No one else to be seen!!! It was such a welcome respite as I took some time to play on the beach & take a dip in the lake to cool off before pedaling home!