After posting the pictures from my final LILLSTREET THROWDOWN challenges… including the Mondrian-inspired Cream & Sugar Set by Claire… we may have another last-minute entry??? One of my Facebook Followers asked if she can “participate” too… as she already has a mug glazed & ready to go!!! Thanks for sharing your “Mondrian Mug” with us Paula… I’d love to see it again after it’s fired again!

Another wonderful season of the LILLSTREET THROWDOWN!!!
I know I had a wonderful time teaching this class again, and I’m pretty darn sure they all had a great time too! So much fun to push them out of their comfort zones, to encourage them to try new projects & to watch them succeed week after week! We all had so much fun… I thought they all deserved prize ribbons to commemorate our time together!!! Well played team!!!

Too bad Will had to miss out on the final festivities… but he still got a ribbon too!!!

Huge CONGRATULATIONS to Clara…
winner of the LILLSTREET THROWDOWN Season Four!!!

You know that every good competition needs a good trophy, right?! And that totally holds true for the LILLSTREET THROWDOWN!!! So I “may have” made a special trophy for the winner… as they’ve been accumulating points throughout the session for their challenges, projects & contests! It’s been a great session… can’t wait to see who wins this glittering trophy!!!

For the BIG BUILD project of the LILLSTREET THROWDOWN, I challenged my students to make a creamer & sugar set based on the work of a famous artist… assigned by Tracy! Including creamer with handle, sugar with lid, tray and a spoon! They all did an amazing job… most of them getting all of their pieces “done” for class. We did have a few kiln issues, so not all of the pieces were at the same place… some were bisqued, some glazed, some stuck waiting on a cart, and some missing? I felt sorry for Helen who was struggling to find her pieces on the bisque carts! Regardless, they did an amazing job embracing their inner Mondrian, Dali, Lichtenstein & Koons.

Claire : PIET MONDRIAN

Clara : SALVADOR DALI

Melanie : ROY LICHTENSTEIN

Tracy : JEFF KOONS

The final “surprise” challenge for my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class was to interpret five different words onto five different tiles. They each received the same words & a blank tile, and then had fifteen minutes to “represent” the word on each tile. The words were PAISLEY, NOSTALGIA, CHAOS, FESTIVE and JUXTAPOSITION. Always fun for me as the observer to watch each of them approach a challenge in different ways – both in interpreting the word and their handbuilding approach & techniques!

CHAOS –

NOSTALGIA –

FESTIVE –

JUXTAPOSITION –

PAISLEY –

On the final night of the LILLSTREET THROWDOWN, my students came in thinking they were pretty much done except for some critiques, judging & points… but they were WRONG!!! I surprised them with one last challenge… decorating tiles with only 15 minutes per tile.

And oh, but wait there’s more...
each of their five tiles had to each represent a different given word…
chosen by me!

For this week’s LILLSTREET THROWDOWN, my students brought in their homework from last week. Which was trimming & decorating with slip trailing on the four “matching” vases they threw during class last week. It was fun to see how each of them approached the challenge differently… many of them slip trailing for the very first time!!!

Okay, so “somebody’s” calendar seems a little bit outta whack!!! Which I’m totally okay with… as my Christmas Cactus is blooming for a second time this year… even though Christmas was literally months ago!!!

After a bit of stamping, these discs are getting so much closer… closer to becoming my latest batch of ikebana flower vases! Spring flowers will be here soon… and they’re going to need a home!