A clouded morning along the lake… with plenty of colorful drama as the sun continued to peek through & hide behind the clouds. It felt good to be out on the lakefront as the temperatures dropped a bit overnight… but the prediction is for the temps to go back up later today. Be prepared, stay safe, stay hydrated.

Janice stopped by the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR… and picked up a stamped & soda-fired flower pot. And now it looks like her little plant is just loving its new home! Thanks for sharing Janice!

My good friend & former pottery student Kristen is doing a great pop-up this weekend! And who doesn’t love handmade pottery AND chocolate?!!! Stop by the Irving Park location of KATHERINE ANNE CONFECTIONS this weekend to see some of Kristen’s pottery & grab some yummy chocolate too!!!

And if you stop by Saturday between 1:00-2:00pm, Kristen will be in the store doing live demos of her carving techniques!

Plus, if you follow, tag & share them both on Instagram, you’ll be entered in a raffle for pottery & chocolate!!! Two of my favorite things!!!

So I trimmed this bowl when it was a little wetter than it should have been. But I was headed out of town for the Pottery Tour… so rushed it. As it was kinda soft, I left it out to dry upside down on a plastic bat. Apparently when it dried, the bottom between the footring “moved” upwards a bit as the bowl dried & shrank??? So now the bowl is bone dry… and the bottom center is higher than the footring… so it’s a “SPINNER”!!! ugh.

Really only one thing to do…

So I had a bit of regret for NOT snagging a fun new mug from Breana Ferreira during the Friday Night Opening Party in Aurora for the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR. But then I saw small table at Lillstreet with a pop-up moving sale as Breana is moving to Tennessee for a new artist residency. So I scored this great little mug… for a great “moving sale” price!!! Loving the textures & colors!!!

You can check-out more of Breana’s work on her Instagram… @brebreanam

Sure, it might just be a weed… but doesn’t it count more if it’s a “pretty” weed? I’m really digging these purple thistle flowers… and the pointed “crown” around the bottom of the flowers!

The morning started out a bit hazy, but with much better temperatures in the mid-70s… such a nice break from the overbearing heatwave. But you can definitely tell that the humidity & temps are both going to rise today to make it another steamy day… seems “perfect” for the official FIRST DAY OF SUMMER!!!

Last Friday night, My Talented Friend Cheryl Holz had an Opening Reception in Aurora… right around the corner from the Opening Reception for the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR at the Aurora location. Coincidentally on the same night, but a great chance to see her wonderful work hanging on the gallery walls. I love her work… the colors, the textures, the multi-media collages, and now… oh, but wait there’s more... hand-sculpted, three-dimensional birds perched inside her paintings!

For more about Cheryl’s paintings… https://cherylholz.com/

Even more coincidental… Cheryl took a workshop with Deana Bada Maloney to learn how to sculpt & paint the birds… and Deana was showing her ceramic masterpieces at the Sandwich location of the Pottery Tour too!!! Small world, huh?!

Huge THANKS to DiamondCore Tools for celebrating NATIONAL CLAY WEEK… and for spotlighting some of my work in their latest e-mail blast. You know I’ve loved my DiamondCore Tools from the very start… and it has been great to see their product lines continue to grow & change with us potters in mind! Whether you’re carving, trimming, grinding or smoothing… DiamondCore Tools will have what you need!!! And what better way to celebrate NATIONAL CLAY WEEK than with some new pottery tools?!

Not only is today JUNETEENTH… but it is also the last day of NATIONAL CLAY WEEK… who knew?! So I hope you’ve taken some time to play in the clay, admire some ceramics or enjoyed your meals off of some handmade pottery this week! You still have time today… and send me photos if you use any of my pottery today! Enjoy today’s holidays!