Taking a quick break from the ALASKA photos…
I have more, don’t worry… but today we’re back in Chicago!

For another stunning sunrise along the lakefront… with not a cloud in the sky!
It was a bit humid this morning…. errr, sweaty!… but oh, so very still & serene.

After two amazing days of teaching my workshop with the Fairbanks Potters Guild, I had several demo pieces that needed to go somewhere… and not into my suitcase!!! So the four mugs were raffled off to four winners! Now they get to glaze & fire them. The bowl demos will be trimmed & glazed for their Empty Bowls fundraiser. And my large stamped platter will be finished & hang on the wall in Tammy’s studio where the workshop was held. Nice to know they’re all going somewhere good… better than squishing them up!!!

Day Two of my pottery workshop with the Fairbanks Potters Guild.
My fear was that when we returned to the studio all of their pots would be bone dry… or still soaking wet. I was hoping that they would be on the softer-side of leatherhard for good stamping… and they were!! YAY!!! We did a little heat-gunning to dry the stamps more before the potters arrived.

To get us started, I did a couple stamping demos using some bisqued stamps I brought with me. We also discussed how to use your texture tools to complement the design & shape of a pot… and maybe thinking the other way while throwing. Setting yourself up with a well-designed pot with good “canvas areas” for stamping later. So the stamps & textures are the focus, not an after-thought.

Throughout the day we stamped & textured everything. We also added some thick slip decorations to a few of the bowls… I love chattered slip!!! We trimmed our pots even though they were wetter than I would like. We even did a demo-on-demand for pulling handles… which I love! We also did some trimming & finishing of their hybrid mugs before adding handles. Again, we had a LOT of pots to work our way through… luckily we had all day!

This workshop was so much fun!!! They were a great group of people… so open, invested, encouraging & interactive. Everyone participated and I think had a great time making some newly-inspired pots. I was kind of wondering what I could offer a group of established potters… turns out there is always lot to share. I shared with them, and they shared with me! It will be interesting to see how they incorporate some of these new techniques into their pottery moving forward.

Huge thanks to all of the Fairbanks Potters Guild… you guys were the BEST!!! Thanks to my favorite Ida who was seemingly the all-knowing matriarch of the group… so much wisdom, so helpful, so nice!!! And thanks to Tammy for opening her studio & hosting the two-day event. Special thanks to Theresa for making this all happen. A simple email got me interested, and then Theresa worked out all of the details to make this workshop happen!!! Thanks to everyone for making this workshop a success & so much fun!!!

I love teaching. And I loved this workshop.
So if anyone else out there needs me to visit for a fun group workshop in your neck of the woods… just let me know! The more exotic the location the better!!! HA!!! I mean, it can’t hurt, right?!

After the workshop, we left all of the pots out to the air to dry. Tammy, the owner & host at RAVEN CITY CLAY STUDIO, took us out to dinner with her husband Matt. They were so nice, great conversations & good food. I actually had grilled halibut… as that’s the thing to do up there I guess. (Although my favorite fish is a “fish stick” as the vehicle to get that tartar sauce into my mouth.) After dinner, we took a little walk through the restaurant’s outdoor area overlooking the river. And it was the rusty metal that really got my attention!!! You know how much I LOVE rusty metal!!!

After dinner, we went back to the studio to cover the pots with plastic & left the stamps out to dry. Workshop Day One… DONE!!! So much fun with such nice people!!!

And then the FUN began!!! Finally the whole reason I came to Alaska in the first place!!! To teach a pottery workshop for the Fairbanks Potters Guild. It was a two-day workshop basically to show them anything & everything I wanted to… plus, Theresa requested stamps & hybrid mugs!

So Saturday we did some introductions, told some stories, shared some insights & made a LOT of pots! It was a full day of interactive demos where I did the demos… and then they all had a chance to give my techniques a try. We went through a LOT of clay during the all-day workshop!!! So much fun!

We made mug cylinders, bowls on purpose instead of cylinders gone bad, altered not-so-basic bowls, platters & more! We also did a little combo wheelthrown & handbuilt hybrid mug form to be finished the second day.

We ended with a little stamp-making demo where they all made their own stamps. My hope was that their pots would slowly dry overnight to a “soft-leatherhard” overnight AND their stamps would be dry enough for them to stamp their pots! Fingers crossed… as we didn’t have enough time to dry & bisque the stamps!

I was very pleased with how Day One went. We made a LOT of pots & it seemed like everyone was having a good time. There were a few “a-ha” moments as I was showing them some of my techniques & tricks along the way. And in return, they all taught me a few things too. I also had a giggle when I saw possibly the “smallest sink ever” in the restroom. And yes, I did bring the OREOs!!!

Saturday morning we decided to go over to the Fairbanks Farmers Market before starting the pottery workshop. I was impressed by the colors, textures & flowers all over the market. As well as some “crib balls” the were hand-sewn… and brought some childhood memories as my Grandma Kitty made the same stuffed fabric balls when we were kids! The Fairbanks Potters Guild has a booth there every time… so it was great to meet some potters & see some pottery ahead of the workshop.

After a long day of hiking & sightseeing… what better way to cap it off than with some chocolate ice cream?! Even better when served in handmade pottery!!!

After hiking all day and a fun “Meet & Greet” potluck dinner, Theresa & I headed over to RAVEN CITY CLAY STUDIO in Fairbanks. We wanted to stop in so I could see where the weekend workshop was going to be taking place. We met with Tammy, the owner, who walked us around & got the feel of the place. A nice studio with plenty of space, plenty of wheels & good lighting wheres she offers classes, camps & open studio times. We talked about the “plan” for the workshop. She was providing wheels , tools & clay for the participants… the rest was going to be pretty much up to me!!!

So we woke up Friday morning in Fairbanks with a plan… to go find MOOSE!!!

There was a workshop “Meet & Greet” Potluck Dinner planned for later that night. So we had a good day to go see some nature, do some hiking, get some photos & hopefully find some MOOSE!!!

Theresa’s plan was to drive us down Chena Hot Springs Road to see what we could along the way. There are so many ponds, creeks, rivers, swamps, forests, moss, mushrooms… all of them ideal for a moose to be hanging out in. It was slightly overcast, misty & rainy at times, but so beautiful! This was more of the Alaska I expected. But I will say… I was surprised by all of the flowers everywhere??? Again, as an unknowing Midwesterner, I must admit I kinda thought Alaska was always cold & frequently covered with snow!!! Who knew is was no nice in the summer with flowers everywhere??? Not me.

And the wildlife scorecard?…
two scrawny squirrels, some ducks… and still NO MOOSE!!

Okay, so we didn’t see any moose… as “promised.”
But we did see some musk ox!!!

Apparently these are “a thing” up in Fairbanks…
penned on the side of the road at an animal research facility.
Close.. but still no moose!!