Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: ornaments

Switching from one holiday to the next…
just finishing up a small batch of holiday ornaments.
Rings attached… now getting ready for some colored slip accents!

Categories: pumpkins

Touched-up, cleaned-up, “wart-ified” & painted with a layer of orange flashing slip.
Ready to dry… and then off to a bisque kiln!

Categories: pumpkins

A kinda “spirited” 10×10 Challenge! Not the usual new pieces before 10:00am… instead, more than ten jack-o‘lantern faces carved by 10:00am. Still a little rough, but I’ll clean them up & then paint them with a colored slip for my next soda kiln firing

Categories: bike, Chicago, sunrise

A very cloudy morning with very few people out on the lakefront trail?! Perhaps they all knew something that I didn’t??? As I pedaled south I felt strong riding into the wind.

When I turned around down by Navy Pier, I saw a big dark cloud moving in up north by my condo. I checked my weather app… and it said “rain starting in fifteen minutes.” And let’s just say… I was further from home than fifteen minutes. So… the ride home was fast & rainy… and once your wet, you can’t get any wetter!!!

Categories: food, friends

So I’ve been working in the studio all morning throwing some last-minute pieces for next weekend’s soda kiln. I ran into my friend & studio neighbor Susan in the hallway… both of us lamenting about how it seems like the two of us are always here in the studio. I made some flippant comment that I had just eaten half a bag of gummy bears for lunch!!! Then she asked “Do you like pastries?”… of course I said yes… like, am I breathing??? I scored two amazing snacks… thanks for sharing Susan!!!

Categories: nature

Love the mossy-covered boulders along the lakefront… algae? seaweed? whatever it’s called ???
With gentle waves lapping at the shoreline… over these very slippery rocks.

Categories: Chicago, special events, sunrise

It was like the City was wrapped in a single pink ribbon… RIP Dolly.

Categories: bike, sunrise

Quiet moments shimmering on the lake.
Another beautiful morning on my bike…
always the best way to start my day!

Categories: theater

Tonight I enjoyed a fun production of the 60’s rock musical “HAIR” by Kokandy Productions. Great performances, good songs, interesting staging… storyline a little lacking. But fun nonetheless. Plus… I “may have” added another tie-dyed t-shirt to my collection!

At intermission, they invited the audience to put their own “graffiti” on the set with markers they provided. A fun activity during the break… lots of messages & slogans truly running the spectrum!

Categories: platters, stamped, surface decoration

Worked on another platter this afternoon… stamping a textured pattern around the flange of the platter. All done with one of my handmade clay stamps! Kinda plain on the inside though… might need a little sumthin’-sumthin’. Right Cory?!