Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: art fair, artists, collaborations, platters, porcelain, process, production, sgraffito, tools

So I gave some porcelain platters & bowls to Amy Taylor with a band of black underglaze around the rims. I also gave her a couple of my favorite DiamondCore Tools for her to play with. Looks like she’s been doing some amazing sgraffito work for our collaboration pieces for ART IN THE GARDEN in Glenview. We’re all trying to finish up our collaborations as we’re just a week and a half away… mark you calendars for September 9th & 10th!

Click here for more info – https://www.grassrootsartfair.com/

Categories: collaborations, stamped, terra cotta, textures

Celebrating another TEXTURE TUESDAY… with some textured terra cotta! All of these fun textures will be part of the collaboration project I’m doing with Cory McCrory this year for ART IN THE GARDEN. They’re coming together nicely… can’t wait to share more teaser photos! And what’s with the big round holes???

Categories: art fair, artists, mosaic, My Talented Friends

Stopped by Kristin Conneely’s mosaic studio the other day. I just love seeing where artists make their magic happen! Of course she’s got a beautiful assortment of colors, tiles & shards… including some amazing glass shards from our glass-fusing friend Robin Kittleson. So fun to see them sharing supplies… as we introduced them to each other during this spring’s “4×4 : Four Makers Show.” Robin has a ton of leftover shards & scraps from her amazing fused glass pieces… and it just works out perfect that Kristin uses “shards & scraps” in her mosaic masterpieces! Come see Kristin’s incredible mosaics at ART IN THE GARDEN on September 9th & 10th in Glenview!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Another morning, another ride, another sunrise. And a perfect chance to work some of that lingering lactic acid out of my legs. A quiet start to the day… plus some “structural” sunrise fun with the set-up for the AVP Beach Volleyball Tournament down at Oak Street Beach this weekend.

Categories: mugs, process, production, surface decoration, textures

It might be kinda late… but I’m feeling really great about getting all of these handles attached! One step closer to getting these “hybrid” mugs in the soda kiln this weekend… oh wait... colored slip, dry, bisque, glaze, wad, load… a lot of steps still to go!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Score, slip, attached… repeat.
And repeat, repeat, repeat… and repeat again!!!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Handles pulled the traditional way… and then looped-over so they can start to set-up with the curve already established.

Categories: mugs, process, production

Time to pull some handles…

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped, textures

Mugs assembled…still have to a good bit of trimming & refining. And then the ever-popular task of adding handles to all of them. Eyes on the PRIZE!!! It looks like it’s going to be a very long night finishing up these hybrid mugs!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamps, surface decoration, tools

Just pulled out some of my MKM Pottery Tools hand rollers to help make some groovy cool textures! Doing a couple quick “test rolls” to figure out which rollers to use on this batch of hybrid mugs!