And speaking of artist “collaborations” for ART IN THE GARDEN…
here’s a little glimpse of what I’m starting with for one of them!
A little teaser of things to come…

So we’re exactly one month away from ART IN THE GARDEN!
My next outdoor art fair… and a very special one at that! It’s a smaller show with a grassroots flair by a bunch of talented friends & artists. We’ve already got a few surprises up our sleeves… like another artist joining us with handmade glass! Plus… the collaboration projects are all under way! I know I’m working on three collaborations with three different artists so far… always fun to stretch out of our little studio “boxes” a bit to see what happens when we get a chance to play together!!!

The third member of the Sculpture Show in Evanston this weekend was Steve Skinner from Black Tree Studio Pottery… and it was these large platters on the wall with miniature houses that caught my attention. For more information on Steve’s work, click on www.blacktreestudiopottery.com

As part of the Sculpture Show in Evanston this weekend, another one of “My Talented Friends” was showing off her sculptural work too. Darlys Ewoldt makes these amazing metal sculptures… hollow forms assembled & colored. I have no real concept of how she makes metal do this… but they are always crazy cool forms that draw you right into them! For more work by Darlys, click on her website at www.darlysewoldt.com

So much fun to spend time with one of “My Talented Friends” today… as metalsmith Sarah Chapman was part of a sculpture show this weekend in Evanston. I had the chance to swing by today to see Sarah with some of her newest work, sculptural pieces & beautiful jewelry. To see more of Sarah’s amazing metal work, click on www.chapmanmetals.com

Looks like Rhonda has brought in some fresh basil from the garden… washed it off in a handmade berry bowl and getting ready to make something YUMMY!!!

Thanks for sharing your “freshly-cleaned produce” Rhonda!

Looks like the new Lillstreet soda kiln is coming along quite nicely… brick by brick. Thanks to Doug Jeppesen & Neil Estrick for working on our kiln for us!

Just received a new carved rolling pin from Elaine Diamond at Vermont Pottery Works @epdiamond! Ready to give it a test run!!! It worked great… with nice crisp lines & patterns. But I kinda like the overlapping & interaction of patterns… so I embellished a bit more with two other rollers. More is more, right?!

For more about these carved rolling pins, click here to check out Elaine’s website!

So I got this really nice message a couple days ago from one of my Instagram Followers. She has been doing a little “stamping” of her own… dabbling with the textured stamp addiction! It was so nice to hear from Lori and to see a few of her stamped pieces. Looks like she’s off to a great start. Keep up the good work Lori… remember, MORE IS MORE!!!

“You have been an inspiration for my own artwork and I have a few pieces of stamped work on them but need to post them up. I had a blast following your blog post for about 4 years while I had studied ceramics at Sul Ross State University. I even did a contemporary ceramic artist presentation about your stamped pot designs, the process of soda fire, and the Christmas ornaments you make.” – @loriyugen

Well, it’s Day Three of the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR… the final day… and there’s still plenty of time to curb your pottery addiction! Twenty-one ceramic artists with a wide range of styles, techniques & aesthetics. You can find them all through the Pottery Tour website… www.northernilpotterytour.com

And if you want to add some of my stamped & textured pottery to your collection, you can always go directly to my new ETSY SHOP… www.etsy.com/shop/firewhenreadypottery