Very exciting to see that one of my fellow ART IN THE GARDEN artists is already planning his part of the collaboration! Woodworker Ken Staggs busy at work on his first “prototype” idea!

Looks like my mosaic friend Kristin Conneely is playing around with some of my soda-fired beads… working towards some new collaboration pieces for ART IN THE GARDEN!!! I can’t wait to see what she finally comes up with when we have the “Big Reveal” at the art fair on the last week of August in Glenview.

Looks like I’m not the only one working on some collaboration projects for ART IN THE GARDEN!!! I see that mosaic artist Kristin Conneely is making a sweet little piece with some textured pottery pieces from my friend Cory McCrory! These collaborations are so much for for all of us… getting to play with each other to make cool things we don’t usually get to make… as “normal” art fairs kinda frown upon this kind of collaboration!!!

Packing up some of my handmade beads to send off to Kristin & Lynda! They’re both going to work their “magic” by somehow incorporating them into their work. It’s always so much fun to see how these collaborations come together for ART IN THE GARDEN… I can’t wait to see what they do!!!

Pre-pandemic we were just finishing up our Great Lillstreet Throwdown class… just a couple days later the world shutdown! So now, several months later, some of my students are just now getting around to glazing their pieces. These are two pieces by Jacob… a sgraffito carved bowl and his Volkswagon VW flower brick!!!

A far cry from Jacob’s penchant for dipping all of his pots in a plain lavender glaze like he did for the first couple years!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!! August 29th & 30th, 2020.

Just four weeks away we’re hosting another ART IN THE GARDEN!!!
The garden is twice as large this year so there’s plenty of room for social-distancing & safe shopping! It’s one of only two outdoor art fairs that I’m able to do this year… so please keep it safe, wash your hands and you MUST wear a mask!!!

It’s one of the most fun art fairs as several of us like to do one-of-a-kind collaboration projects to “reveal” at the show. You can see many of us making things in our studios to get ready… and maybe get a glimpse of a collaboration or two if you look close. Check out the list of my talented friends in the Comments and follow them all on social media.

Click here to follow ART IN THE GARDEN on Facebook… as more details, picture s& information will start to appear over the next few weeks!

A couple weeks ago his gallery show closed… but I just ran across these photos and thought I should share. Gabriel Mo was one of the Resident Artists in the Metals Department at Lillstreet Art Center. Unfortunately, the term of his Residency was great affected by the outbreak of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Coming to Lillstreet with such hope & promise, but then finding it all changed as the world changed so quickly for everyone.

At the end of his Lillstreet Residency, there was a small Gallery Showing of his work in the Lillstreet Annex Gallery on the second floor. I passed through the show many times as I was on my way to my studio. Alsways enamored by the architectural style, the crisp lines, the contrast of metals… and the fact that they’re all “kinetic” pieces that move, swing, swivel, open, close, etc. A simple touch in the right places made all the difference… and it was great to see the sketches with the pieces as well.

But for me… it was ALL ABOUT THE SHADOWS!!!
Sure, his metalwork was amazing, but I was intrigued by the shadows!

Sadly his show has alrady been taken down from the Lillstreet Gallery Annex. Although you can click here to see more on Gabriel’s website.

And a huge THANKS to Pam Robinson for coordinating this show and creating a moment of beauty during the Corona pandemic. While everything was shut down, people sheltered-at-home, and Chicago opening back up so slowly… Pam found a way to work through the safety issues to create this socially-distant Gallery Opening to celebrate Gabriel’s work, and his time at Lillstreet. Surely NOT what he expected his Artist-in-Residence time to be like!

As part of my Sculpture Summer Camp, I like to teach the kids some art history along the way… this time focused on famous sculptors! I made a set of flash cards for some famous sculptures – many of which are in Chicago that the kids might have seen. I also tried to show them at least two pieces by each artist so they weren’t just memorizing one photo… but trying to get them to learn about their style, subject matter and time period. And just to keep them on their toes… there are a few duplicates along the way!

The trick to using flash cards is to make it a game… so at some point, they’re so excited to play a game that they don’t even realize they’re learning stuff at the same time! By the end of the week, most of the kids have memorized all of the following artists… first and last name!!!

Like this game on Friday where I turned it into the classic game of “MEMORY” where they had to match up the cards – finding two cards by the same artist. Keeping safe social distances with a LOT of hand sanitizer along the way!

HOW MANY OF THESE FAMOUS SCULPTORS CAN YOU NAME???
Not the sculpture name, but the actual artist… first & last name!

I must admit I had to Google a few of them myself.
I mean… do you know who made the Venus de Milo???
… and his name is NOT Milo!!!

My morning ride was hot & sweaty along the lakefront headed north. Still a beautiful ride… made even more beautiful by this collection of painted rocks along the Northwestern University campus. Most are just painted… some are just cute… but someone has some real talent out there!

This morning’s “cloud-free” sunrise was pretty… but it was this wonderful “community” mural at Sheridan & Howard that caught my attention. I loved the sense of whimsy & depicting the community all working together. The sunrise was just getting to it… illuminating the top section as I continued to pedal home.

For more about this mural… CLICK HERE for Matt Bourque’s website post about this mural.