Part Two of this week’s wheelthrowing demo was altering all of the basic bowls… turning them into “not-so-basic bowls.” I took all of the basic bowls & showed my class some.very quick & simple alterations that can add some style & whimsy to their pots. I tell them that “the wheel” pretty much made the round bowl for them. Now it’s time for THEM to do something to it to make it THEIR bowl! Encouraging them to play more with their clay, try something new & have fun making pottery. Don’t sweat over it… IT’S JUST CLAY!!!

This week in my Beginning Wheelthrowing class we tackled “making bowls on purpose instead of a cylinder gone bad.” I showed them how to make a bowl with a smooth, rounded interior with no fla bottoms, no corners, no “beginner’s ledge” or indents along the way. We did a full demo… and then I sent them back to their wheels while I threw “a few more” bowls for Part Two for the demo…

And just for the record… this was ONE 25lb. bag of clay!

DESTINY FULFILLED!!! Looks like my salmon bowl has been filled with a “salmon bowl” for new Salmon Bowl Saturday!!! Thanks for sharing Rachael… and so good to “finally” see a real “salmon bowl” out in the wild!

For the final class of my SURFACE DECORATION class, we pulled together all of the glazed bowls we had gotten back from the kiln. A couple weeks prior, I had challenged them all to try a different technique on a little slip of paper. It was fun to watch how each student approached their glazing challenge… but even more fun to see all of the final results!!!

I mean, who doesn’t need a “bowl” to put your donuts in when celebrating NATIONAL DONUT DAY?! Everything tastes better when served in handmade pottery… even donuts!!!

Food always tastes better in handmade pottery…
like we could even make Mint OREO’s taste any better??? They’re ALWAYS yummy!

We hope to see you in Sandwich… perhaps with sandwich cookies???

For more info… www.northernilpotterytour.com

Plenty of bowls for everyone… always food-safe, dishwasher-safe & microwave-safe! I mean, if you can’t really use it… why bother??? Stop by the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR to get a few bowls of your own! This weekend in Sandwich, Illinois at the home studio of Cory McCrory!

For more info : www.northernilpotterytour.com

So last night in class we had our usual end-of-session potluck.
But turned it into a little bridal shower for Rachael, one of my students.

In a previous class she had shared her plan to make some “salmon bowls” for herself.
None of us knew what she meant… and the stories went on forever. Turns out they’re just bowls that she & her fiancé Matt eat their salmon out of. First from Costco… then maybe IKEA… had to check with her fiancé? Not that it matters?! But the drama & stories about these dang “salmon bowls” dragged on forever… because it was so funny… and we just wouldn’t let it go!!! For our own entertainment of course!

So when the idea of a bridal shower came up, we all decided to secretly make her a “salmon bowl” as her gift! And last night was the big reveal… she LOVED THEM!!! There will still be a few more that didn’t quite make it through the kiln in time!

But it was an AMAZING surprise for Rachael…
and now she has her own custom “salmon bowls.”
Great fun for all… as “something fishy” was definitely going on!!!

I mean…
it’s not every day that I put coho salmon on a bowl?! But this once I will…

So… I’ve been working on a little “undercover” project for one of my students. Couldn’t give anything away too soon… or she might have thought something was “fishy.” And yes… I put two salmon on my bowl. More story to come…