The Drive  ———-
So I’m sure it comes as no surprise to those who really know me, that I felt it necessary
to be there for the very start of the Pottery Tour right at 10:00am on Friday morning.
You know, otherwise you might miss the good stuff? Right? So I foolishly decided to hop
in the car at 2:00am Friday morning and drove straight through to Minneapolis. Yes…
it was a long arduous drive. And I got there at about 9:30am. Just enough time for a
quick 10-minute nap in Bob Briscoe’s driveway. And I got to see the sunrise of sorts…

The St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour  ———-
As I’ve mentioned before, this weekend tour is my annual favorite. All of the best potters
all in one place… err, seven places. Yes, seven open studios of seven of the best potters.
And if that weren’t enough, each of them invite several of their talented friends to join
them for the weekend. So it totals out at 46 pottery “rock stars” all in one weekend tour.
For more information, check their website – www.minnesotapotters.com

Bob Briscoe’s Studio  ———-
Guests: Mary Barringer, Richard Hensley, Suze Lindsay, Kent McLaughlin,
Matthew Metz, Donna Polseno, Jo Severson and Jason Trebs.
Always the first stop… I was thrilled to see so many pots, the large tents and the excitement
just beginning! I could feel the shopping frenzy kicking in. And I had to get started quick.
Before all “the good stuff” was already taken!!!

First up, I was straight of to Matt Metz – one of my favorites! And I knew that I had
to add another piece to my collection. Hard to choose… as everything was incredible!

Next it was Suze Lindsay, who does great brushwork on her atmospheric fired pieces.
Beautiful surfaces, slips, textures and glazes… all with a sense of whimsy & fun.

Moving on it was Kent McLaughlin, Jo Severson, and a few others… including a new face
in the crowd, at least for me… Donna Polseno. Her work has a peaceful & serene effect
with soft illustrations, satiny glazes and an occasional bird here & there for fun.

Last but not at all least, it was studio host Bob Briscoe. Not only is his studio beautiful
with the pond in the back… but his pots are great as well. Very practical pots with an
emphasis on ash glazes for a textural finish. I’ve had a set of his bowl-plates which I LOVE
and use all the time. The perfect bowl for my favorite carry-out Thai food.

The Murphy-Bicking Baby Debut ———-
While we were shopping at the very first stop, our friend & fellow potter Emily Murphy
stopped by with husband Ian and newborn baby Ada Sky. The little girl is just a month old
and was already stealing the show!

Richard Vincent’s Studio ———-
Guests:  Sandra Byers, Winthrop Byers, Bill Gossman, Steven Hill and George Lowe.
Our second stop was the closest to Bob Briscoe’s place. With the same artists as last year,
including my friend & potter Steven Hill. If you’re looking for voluptuous, porcelain pieces
with incredible mixes of glazes… then Steven’s your guy. His pots are beautiful, and it was
great fun to see him and get all caught up after his move from Sandwich, IL back to Missouri.

Steven Hill on “The Square” ———-
So technology has hit the pottery world. And if Steven Hill can jump on the bandwagon,
I may need to as well. There’s this great little gadget called “The Square” that can attach
to your iPhone – and with the help of an App, you can swipe and process credit cards
right there on the spot. I think I need to check into that before my Summer Art Fair
Season begins in a couple weeks?! Seems like all the cool kids are doing it…

Will Swanson’s Studio ———-
Guests: Silvie Granatelli, Ellen Shankin, Laurie Shaman, Mark Shapiro & Sam Taylor.
Following the route, we made it to our third stop with some more great potters!
Especially favorites Ellen Shankin and Silvie Granatelli. Both of them have been making
incredible pots for some time now, and each of them are already represented in my
Mug Collection. So here are two samples, Ellen Shankin followed by Silvie Granatelli…

Also at Will Swanson’s was former Lillstreet Gallery Director Laurie Shaman. Her work
has a beautiful illustrative quality, kind of like beautiful watercolor paintings on porcelain.
Lots of portraits, birds, architectural buildings and more. Beautiful brush strokes on clay.

Lunch at the Scenic Overlook ———-
The weather was beautiful… and so it was time for a picnic. Luckily, Amy had packed
a lunch for the both of us. So it was a quick break from the tour, relaxing in the sun
and enjoying the view. As the clouds were gently rolling by… sun shining down…
and my Dove Dark Chocolate Promise had the perfect message inside!

Connee Mayeron’s Studio ———-
Guests: Curtis Hoard, Gail Kendall, Jenny Mendes, Mark Pharis,
Liz Quackenbush and Shoko Teruyama.
Tops on Amy’s list this year were Shoko Teruyama & Jenny Mendes – both of which
were guest artists at Connee’s. Going in, I could tell that Amy was not going to leave until
she had something to show for it. First was Shoko, who has had recent acclaim in the big
ceramics magazines. Her style is kind of over-the-top, lots of patterns, layers, colors, and
imagery that you can’t quite figure out… and yes, this one went home with Amy!!!

And here’s Amy capturing a photo of “the bowl the got away. She was torn between
the bowl and the larger, more impressive platter! Luckily… she went for the platter!
At least she has the picture for her memories, her blog… and her Facebook!!!

Jenny Mendes is another artist who does incredible illustration on her ceramic works.
Layers of colors and incredibly detailed line drawings. Lots of crazy… you gotta love it!

Art In The Yard ———-
While Amy was enamored with all of the outrageous illustration work… I was more enamored
by the rusty metal & rock sculptures littered through the yard. Now you know I have a special
affinity for rusty metal… but now on a large scale, with large rocks and wit?! C’mon…

It All Matters ———-
In the parking lot at Connee Mayeron’s was a great, orange message…

Guillermo Cuellar’s Studio  ———-
Guests: Dick Cooter, Delores Fortuna, Simon Levin, Jim Lorio, Mike Norman and Steve Rolf.
Perched atop of steep hill, Guillermo’s place overlooks the valley. And yes, we walked up
the wrong driveway when we got there… only to find out that there were no potters there?!
So we had to walk back down the steep driveway, down the street and back up another steep
driveway to Guillermo’s studio. Whoops. At least it was worth the walk. Lots of great pots
all over the yard surrounding his place.

Simon Levin is one of my favorites with beautiful forms, textures and wood-fired
blushing. But after looking around the place, it was great to run into Delores Fortuna
who I’ve known for a few years now. Her work is beautiful. Structural, slightly altered
pieces with great glaze combinations… and a bit of wire work here & there. Unfortunately,
it was a little tough to see Simon & Delores work clearly, as the pots were all scattered
amongst the other artists at this studio location. I prefer when each artist has a clear
designated place to show off their body of work. Easier to shop. Easier to admire.
Less hassle trying to find & compare the pieces you want to buy!

Dinner ———-
Without knowing the area, we followed the suggestion of the hotel clerk
and found a fine Mexican restaurant with really great guacamole!!! Lots of cilantro!

Back to Bob Briscoe’s for the Party!!! ———-
This was the first year that we actually decided to go to the “after-party” at Bob Briscoe’s.
It was fun to have some time to chat with the artists – and see the tents of pottery at night
under a different light. We had more time to chat with Laurie Shaman, Delores Fortuna
and her “worker” Roberta Polfus – who I’ve known for years… and Amy has too!
Roberta makes these incredible porcelain pieces… click here to check it out!

The End of The Day ———
So we dragged our scrappy tails back to the hotel… more than ready for a good night’s
sleep. Remember, I’ve been running on adrenaline & sugar all day after driving overnight!
But it was all well worth it… and we still have more clay fun planed for tomorrow!!!