A great “hands-on” project… Cory is making her pieces, and I’m doing mine!
Mark your calendar for “Art In The Garden” in Glenview on August 30th & 31st.
One-of-a-kind, limited edition collaborations with my friend Cory McCrory!!!

It never gets old.
I still love watching other potters making their work. Whether throwing, trimming, stamping, carving, decorating. or whatever. Always beautiful. Always mesmerizing. Always a great creative inspiration for all of us. And these Icheon Master Hands from Korea are pretty darn incredible! Each one showing their techniques… and making it “look” so easy!!! Although we all know it’s NOT!!!

For a compilation video of five great Icheon Master Hands from Korea, click here.
If you want to see more… continue on. You’ll be glad you did.

For more video of Master Hand Choi In-Gyu… click here.

For more video of Master Hand Yo Se-Yeon… click here.

For more video of Master Hand Lee Hyang-Gu… click here.

For more video of Master Hand Kim Seong-Tae… click here.

For more video of Master Hand You Yong-Chul… click here.

Some great inspiration for all of us.
I especially loved the work by Kim Seong-Tae. The carving is pretty impressive, and I was pleasently surprised with the big reveal of the layered colored slips as he carved through to add colorful details to the remaining parts of the pots. So beautiful. So delicate. So inspiring.

Cory’s making something to “cluck” about… birds of a feather… and another “teaser.”

My friend & wonderful artist Cory McCrory has started to share a few sneak peeks into our collaboration project… she’s such a TEASE.

You know how I love to hear from my blog & Facebook followers. It’s a nice affirmation that someone out there is actually reading my endless ramblings and enjoying my photos. Sometimes you wonder if “anyone” out there is even listening. And then you get a sweet e-mail like this one. And once again, everything is good in the world. Thank you Sonya for sharing a picture from your Special Needs Class. I’m glad I could be an inspiration… your birdhouses look fantastic!!!

Hi Gary,

You sound so enthusiastic and generous in your blog! You also seem to genuinely want to hear from folks that benefit from it. So, I am sending you a picture of some Gary Jackson inspired birdhouses that were made by my special needs adult class. They are super excited about these and can’t wait to get them glazed! One student plans to give her birdhouse to a friend as a bereavement gift (her friend lost her mother recently).

Cheers from Kentucky,
S. Penn

And for those of you who might need a quick refresher, here’s a couple shots of my terra cotta birdhouses from a couple years back. Sadly, I don’t have any currently in my inventory, but this may be a great reminder to make more!!!

Coming soon… a fun, new collaboration I’m doing with my favorite Cory McCrory!!!
We’re both making pieces & parts, and then we’re putting it all together.
Limited edition… unlimited fun & whimsy!!!

Details to come…

One of the best parts of art fairs is “trading” with your talented art fair friends. Lucky me came home with two new pieces by My Talented Friend” Cory McCrory!!! Love the colors, the textures, the whimsy… and you know I LOVE WHIMSY!!!

And speaking of colors, textures & whimsy…

Congratulations to my creatively-crazy-ceramic friend Cory McCrory who won “1st Place 3D Art” today at the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival. Her work is incredible, and so is she! Mark your calendar for August 30th & 31st when we will be playing together at “Art In The Garden.” Details to come…

There were so many different styles & techniques displayed on the Minnesota Pottery Tour. So much eye-candy & visual inspiration. Taken out of context though, how many of these ceramic artists can you name based on a snapshot of their decorative technique!?

Artists names will be revealed some time next week!!!
Answers are now posted in RED as of 5/29/14.

#1 : Shoko Teruyama

#2 : Steven Hill

#3 : Andy Balmer

#4 : Bill Gossman

#5 : Dan Finnegan

#6 : Delores Fortuna

#7 : Ellen Shankin

#8 : Richard Vincent

#9 : George Lowe

#10 : Jeff Oestreich

#11 : Jo Severson

#12 : Jenny Mendes

#13 : Suze Lindsay

#14 : Steven Young Lee

#15 : Silvie Granatelli

#16 : Sandra Byers

#17 : Kent McLaughlin

#18 : Karin Kraemer

#19 : Robert Briscoe

#20 : Mark Shapiro

#21 : Mary Roettger

#22 : Richard Hensley

#23 : Simon Levin

#24 : Matthew Metz

#25 : Craig Edwards

#26 : Sarah Jaeger

#27 : Steven Hill

#28 : Sam Taylor

#29 : Steven Young Lee

#30 : Donna Polseno

#31 : Robert Briscoe

#32 : Karin Kraemer

#33 : Ani Kasten

#34 : George Lowe

#35 : Mary Barringer

#36 : Matthew Metz

#37 : Ernest Miller

#38 : Steven Hill

#39 : Naomi Dalglish

#40 : Steven Young Lee

#41 : Mary Barringer

#42 : Winthrop Byers

So many pots… so little time… and now far less cash in my wallet!!!
So much fun touring and seeing all of those great pots. Great to chat with all of the artists… and to add a “few” pieces to my already too huge pottery collection!

Starting with a new mug by Matthew Metz. And a slightly new style with a dark clay body dipped in a light slip and then carved with his signature sgraffito style. I especially loved the “finger prints” on the bottom of the cup where he held it to dip into the slip.

I also added a Bob Briscoe mug to my “mug collection”… and a new Bob Briscoe lidded jar… for M&M’s or Hershey’s Kisses?!!!

At our second stop, we met up with Steven Young Lee… a former teacher of mine. Of course I had to add another mug of his to my collection. I have quite a few “vintage” Steve Lee pieces. And now I have some of his new blue & white style. Unfortunately, I couldn’t decide… so I had to get a couple!!!

Blue & white… and a stark contrast with a carved monochromatic tea bowl.

On Day Two, we started from the beginning and did the Tour all over again! We started at Bob Briscoe’s again… and he had unloaded another kiln overnight. So he was restocked with a few pieces. Including these two bowls that “had” to come home with me… to join the other four bowls already in my kitchen cabinet.

 

I also picked up a mug by George Lowe… I loved the texture and the rusty, crusty finish!

One of our last stops on Saturday was The Rogue Potters. I picked up a couple pieces, including a mug by Randal Anderson and a plate by Mark Johnson.