So here are my birdhouses for ART IN THE GARDEN… and oh, but wait there’s more… they are also part of a fun collaboration project. My buddy Cory McCrory is now going to work her whimsical magic on these birdhouses… adding her own special sense of humor, whimsy & color to each of them. I can’t wait to see what she does from here!!! Come to ART IN THE GARDEN on September 9th & 10th to see the final results in person!

Looks like it’s all pieced together… so many cool parts & pieces… including some of my handmade soda-fired beads. Well done Kristin! Now I can’t wait to see it in my ceramic frame!!! Collaboration fun for ART IN THE GARDEN.

Looks like Kristin is making some great progress in piecing together a beautiful mosaic for ART IN THE GARDEN. It’s a fun collaboration with one of my stamped frames to contain her “mosaic magic.” Can’t wait to see it in person in Glenview on September 9th & 10th… it’s one-of-a-kind… and it might go fast!!!

Without a cloud in the sky, the sunrise was kind of eventful this morning… so I turned the camera around and found this wonderful field of yellow flowers basking in the morning sun down by Montrose Harbor.

Tonight was also a Super Blue Moon! Beautiful to watch it rise over the lake casting amazing reflections in the still crashing waves. So bright. So beautiful. But what is a “Super Blue Moon” anyway???

From TIME magazine…
“The ”Super Blue Moon” label requires a little unpacking. For starters there is nothing remotely blue about the way the moon will look tonight. Instead, the label–whose provenance is unsettled—refers to the second full moon in any single month. The last one to fill the skies was August 1, so tonight’s full moon comes in just under the wire to qualify for the blue distinction. Blue moons are not common. Only 3% of full moons are blue moons, according to NASA, so tonight’s moon would be noteworthy no matter what.”

Tonight was a fun night along the lakefront… as it was the FULL MOON FIRE JAM at Foster Street Beach. A fun fire celebration held throughout the summer for every full moon. It’s a collection of fire twirlers, fire jugglers, fire breathers & pretty much anyone else who plays with fire! It has been going on for years… and it just keeps getting bigger & bigger! Didn’t hurt any that tonight as a Super Blue Moon also!

This project is for the BIRDS… quite literally!!! Yes, for this year at ART IN THE GARDEN I’m making a collection of birdhouses! Textured terra cotta with angled roofs & rings to hang them from… even ventilation holes under the eaves! Thus the power drill…

A little last-minute “pumpkintizing” going on in the studio… painting them with some smooth orange flashing slip in preparation for this weekend’s soda kiln firing.

Looks like Kristin Conneely has been busy working her “mosaic magic” in her studio… still working on some collaboration pieces for ART IN THE GARDEN. It’s always so cool to see how different artists re-imagine things you’ve made for years… giving them a breath of fresh air!!! Can’t wait to see the finished pieces… September 9th & 10th in Glenview!

For more info… www.grassrootsartfair.com

With dark clouds in the sky, you could literally hear the drama as I pedaled up to the lakefront. Waves crashing in all around. Yet timing is everything… and hard to stop taking photos when there are so many picture-perfect splashes. The challenge is catching them… as timing is everything. So there are still a lot of photos here… fifty-three… but I think I did a pretty good job of narrowing it down from the 169 photos I came home with!!! You’re welcome…