One of the fun parts of the art fair circuit is playing with your booth neighbors. I did a little trading with my neighbor to the south yesterday for this flirty little bird… and a fun colored rock!!! Check out Rhonda Shouf in Booth #33 to get your own whimsical cutie.

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It was a beautiful day yesterday at the Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival. Incredible weather, great breeze, a LOT of fun customers and a fantastic “backyard” booth view of the lake!!! Looking forward to another fun day in Dawes Park again today. Booth #32 from 11:00am-6:00pm.

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Looks like it’s going to be a beautiful weekend to hang out in Dawes Park for the Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival. I’ll be in Booth #32 at the southeast end of the pond… with an amazing “backyard” full of additional pottery and an amazing view of Lake Michigan!!! Today & tomorrow from 11:00am-6:00pm. C’mon by and enjoy the view with me!

You know they’re my favorite thing to make.
If I could only make one shape for the rest of my pottery career it would definitely be MUGS!!! So here’s to another Mugshot Monday… and a quick reminder of the Evanston Lakeshore Arts Festival this weekend if you want to get a mug of your own!!!

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Apparently we made “the news” in the Chicago Tribune online. And if it’s on the Internet it has got to be true, right?! Huge thanks to everyone who came out to Hinsdale this weekend. We had a great time playing with so many people who went home with some new pottery!!! Thanks again. And special thanks to the Tribune for calling out me and my friend & glass bead jeweler Donna Sauers… and for making us both “popular” and “regular”?!

After more than a “few” years…
I finally broke down and purchased a new cooler for my art fair snacks.
With the heat & humidity yesterday, chilled beverages were very necessary!!!

So here’s the story… a few years back, I found this Igloo Brand cooler in the parking lot of my summer job. It seemed to be in good condition, so I kept it, cleaned it up and have been using it for art fairs ever since. Okay, so it’s been a “few” years. Let’s just say, it was in the parking lot of Pirate’s Cover Theme Park. Which was my summer job through college!!! So this “garbage-picked” cooler has served me well. It wasn’t until my last art fair in Schaumburg that the click-closure button broke. And the cooler wouldn’t stay closed any longer. Of course I thought I would be able to squeak out a few more uses. Because obviously I don’t throw things away… and it had served me well.

Well, it didn’t. As I was carrying my snacks & drinks from my condo to the car, and then from car to my booth in Hinsdale, the “now-unlockable” cooler shifted, swiveled and all of the contents poured out as I was carrying it. Not once. Not twice… but THREE times!!! The last time was in front of my friend & photographer Josh Merrill’s booth. Slight embrrasment… and the decision that I would be stopping off at Target on the way home to buy a new cooler.

Finally.
Let’s hope this “new” cooler lasts as long!

The Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival is up & running. We’re in Booth #100 in the shade of a tree with a pretty sweet breeze. Looks like we’ve got beautiful weather in a beautiful park. Burlington Park in downtown Hinsdale today & tomorrow from 10:00-5:00.

One of the best parts of doing art fairs is making friends with your talented “neighbors.” Seeing what cool things they’re making and possibly doing a little shopping or “trading” along the way! In Schaumburg, I was again next to Claudia Winter of “Baubbly” who makes beautiful resin & metal jewelry. Whimsical, colorful & fun. Three of my favorite things!… even better when some of them are reversible!!!

This pendant is layers of clear resin with colored accents in between. With different lighting, or looking at it from an angle, you can see the colored dots “move” or “shift” around on the pendant.

And this pendant of colored resin sanded to a smooth matte surface. This little cutie is reversible – lime dots on one side, and perky orange on the other!

But here’s the best part of the story…
So we’re in the middle of Saturday when a cute high school girl comes into Claudia’s booth. They start talking and the girl is asking some great questions. Claudia is explaining her process very thoroughly. And clearly for the high schooler. After about 15 minutes of resin definitions, epoxy clarification, color placement and everything else you could ever want to know. That it’s resin. That it’s a two-part process. On and on. Very clear. Very concise. She couldn’t have been any clearer…

And then the girl asked… “So is it a stone?”

We both had a good laugh about it… No, it is NOT a stone… it’s RESIN!!!

Click here to see more whimsical fun by Claudia Winter.

This weekend I’m packing everything up and heading out to the suburbs!
We’re setting up the art fair tent in Burlington Park in downtown Hinsdale.
A beautiful park… soon to be filled with a lot of beautiful art!!!

We’re all hoping for good weather as we’re getting ready for a fun weekend in Hinsdale.
I’ll have a full assortment of functional & decorative ceramic pieces. Bowls, mugs, vases, platters, salt & pepper shakers, flower pots & so much more! Always handmade, one-of-a-kind, food safe & ready for everyday use.

Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival
Burlington Park : 30 East Chicago Avenue, Hinsdale, Illinois 60521
I’ll be in my usual booth location, Booth #100… just northeast of the park’s fountain.

This coming weekend…
Saturday, June 11th & Sunday, June 12th – 10:00am-5:00pm.

One of my favorite booths today at the 57th Street Art Fair was that of Robin Kittleson. I met Robin a few years back when she was across the aisle from me at Art In The Barn in Barrington. Now generally I’m not a huge fan of fused glass. So frequently it’s very bright, kinda geometric and more than a little gaudy. And then there’s Robin’s amazing twist on fused glass. Her pieces are amazing!!! The colors. The designs. The intricacy. Amazing!!!

She may have just won me over… maybe fused glass CAN BE a lot cooler than I thought?

Click here to see a sneak peek into Robin’s process.
And then click here to see more of her work on her website – www.robinkittleson.com