Well, here’s the “Big Reveal” of my soda kiln firing from this past weekend. It’s always a labor of love… not just making all of the work, but also all of the loading, bricking the door, firing, putting in the soda mixture, unbricking the door, unloading the pots, packing it all up, scraping the kiln shelves, kiln washing the shelves, mopping the floor, and so many other “not-so-glamorous” tasks that are all part of the process. Most people think we “just make pots.” Well, there’s a LOT more to it than that!!!

But I’m pleased… my firing came out GREAT.
Nice bright colors… not too much gray “dolphin-skin” build-up! I need to prep & price everything now… getting it ready for ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend… as well as ART IN THE BARN two weeks later!!! Can’t wait to send them off to their new “forever homes.”

OMG!!!… I can’t believe how Cory has knocked this one out-of-the-park!!!

She’s added several layers of colored underglazes to our collaboration birdhouses… and I think they’re AMAZING!!! It might just be one of our best ART IN THE GARDEN collaborations ever! I can’t wait to see them in person this weekend!

Sadly, there are only TEN of them…. and there’s no calling dibs ahead of time… first come, first served at ART IN THE GARDEN. If there are any left after the show, we will offer them up online!

For more… www.grassrootsartfair.com

Yep, she’s good!!! I gave Kristin Conneely another frame to fill and she did it in no time fast! Another beautiful collaboration ready for ART IN THE GARDEN next weekend. I made the stamped ceramic frame, Kristin did her “mosaic magic” inside… and if you look closely, there are little leaves by Cory McCrory… making this a little 3-way collaboration!!!

It definitely feels like Fall is right around the corner. The zinnias are still beautiful, but you can tell they’re nearing the end of their season! Beautiful colors with great petal structure… but a few of them aren’t holding up so well. Enjoy the end of summer while you can…

And then, after a full day of firing the soda kiln & checking in on it throughout the day… when the final cone 10 goes down it’s time to turn it off. It’s always a weird feeling… as the noise you’ve heard all day long suddenly STOPS!!! The flames stop. The noise stops. Quiet. Done. And you just hope that everything went well… and the pots look great… although you know there’s nothing more you can really do at this point. So the silent & simmering soda kiln is a little eerie at the end. Fingers crossed as you head home for the night…

I fired the soda kiln on Saturday… and somehow the rest of the holiday weekend got away from me?!… too much playing outside I think… if that’s even possible? So I’m finally getting around to posting some pictures from my firing. It was a very smooth firing… if anything a little faster than I expected. When the final cones started dropping I was caught a little off-guard… and had a little bit of panic getting my soda mixture all ready. But all went well… and I put in the mixture every 15 minutes or so until it was done! You gotta love when the flames come shooting out like this towards the end of the firing!!!

Just a bit more of a “teaser”… a bit more of the sgraffito platters that Amy Taylor & I have been working on as our collaboration project for ART IN THE GARDEN. We’ll have a limited number of platters, shallow bowls & more with her whimsical illustrations hand-carved through black underglaze to reveal the white porcelain.

Mark your calendars… September 9th & 10th in Glenview!

Another sign that Fall is on its way. Just down the block this beautiful Sweet Autumn Clematis is taking over their fence. Dainty little white flowers on twisting vines… quickly taking over the wrought iron fence.

And while the sunrise was doing beautiful things over the lake… sometimes you need to look behind you too! This striking cloud was playing this morning over the former Edgewater Beach Hotel. The pink hotel with pink clouds… how coincidental.

What a difference a few clouds can make when creating a beautiful sunrise. Sure, the perfectly clear sky is okay too… but I much prefer the drama, the colors & the splash of light upon the clouds. Ever-changing throughout the morning as I pedal along the lakefront. Seriously… the best way to start my day!!!