Just so you know, registration is now open for the Fall Session of classes
at Lillstreet Art Center. I will once again be teaching my adult Beginning &
Advanced Beginning Wheelthrowing class on Tuesday nights from 7:00-10:00pm.
The 10-week session of classes begins on Tuesday, September 14th.
And since this is the Fall Session I can almost guarantee that my class will
once again fill up very quickly. As Fall sets in, people are looking for something
to do… and a fun way to make some holiday presents for their loved ones!

Stop by to register, call Lillstreet Art Center or register online.
www.lillstreet.com

And for you “Dilberts” in the world… or those of you married to a “Dilbert”…
I can guarantee that in the 10-weeks, you’ll make some nice mugs, bowls & more…
and not a single spoon whittled in class! Guaranteed…

Tonight in class we focused on making bowls on purpose…

…and not a cylinder gone bad. So I demonstrated how to make a basic bowl.
Followed by throwing eight bowls, then demonstrating some quick techniques
for simple designs, patterns & styles to make their bowls special. Anyone can
make a plain round bowl… but it’s more fun when you make it your own
with a little design along the way! Texture… pattern… slip… fun!

Tonight we kicked off the Summer Session of classes at Lillstreet Art Center.
Once again with a completely full class, I started with getting to know my students
and where they are in “their clay career.” This time, I have quite a few new beginners -
a lot of them with the “I did it once a LONG time ago and want to get back into
throwing.” Which might also translate into ‘there may be a lot of bad habits to fix’?!
Then we moved on to the basics of wedging, centering and throwing… assessing their
skill level at the same time. It was a very quick night – kicking off the 8-week session
of Beginning & Advanced Beginning Wheelthrowing class.

Registration is currently open.. and spots are filling quickly – only 7 spaces left!!!
I will be once again teaching my Beginner & Advance Beginner Wheelthrowing class
on Tuesday nights from 7:00-10:00pm. The summer session will be eight weeks long
beginning on Tuesday, July 13th. It’s the perfect class for anyone who has always wanted
to try wheelthrowing for the first time, return to the wheel… or refine their current skills
and push themselves a bit further. And if you want to see my hyped up on sugar and
“post-day-at-summer-camp-kid’s-adrenaline”… this is the session for you!
Kids camp all day. Adult class at night… guaranteed fun for everyone!

Sign-up today. Call Lillstreet Art Center or register online at www.lillstreet.com

Tonight in class we had a trimming demo for my Beginning students…
as well as a repeat of centering, cylinders, shaping cylinders & pulling handles.
We’re in a very quick 4-week interim class, so things are moving quickly.

So Pam, one of my returning students who made tiles for years and recently switched
to wheel throwing and is now quite addicted to her surprise & everyone else as well,
shared her passion for trimming. She said she thought she would hate it
but now has come to find that she LOVES trimming… as do I.
And here’s Pam’s quote of the night… and I LOVE it…

“Some days you throw just so you can trim.”

Well, we’re now just two weeks away from the start of my “tour of duty” with the
kids teaching Summer Camp at Lillstreet Art Center. And counting down the days…
It’s going to be a very busy summer. I’m scheduled for the most camp classes
I’ve ever taught in one summer. It’s going to be a lot of fun… and quite exhausting!!!

So now that it’s so close… I felt it was time to re-publish my schedule for those of you
looking for a great place to send your kids this summer. So here’s my schedule of camps
this summer. And remember, I only teach camps for the 8-12 year old group. But there
are other camps for the younger kids too. Check out the full schedule of kids camps,
as well as adult classes, at www.lillstreet.com

WEEK A:  June 7 – June 11
AM: I’m only scheduled as the back-up teacher for Clay & Multimedia…
so if there’s a lot kids signed up for that week, I’m in.

WEEK B:  June 14 – June 18
AM/PM: Chess Camp #1… we only have a week for the kids to build an entire
thematic chess set out of terra cotta! They develop a theme of what their two
“competing” sides are, and then build them & paint them with underglaze.
Oh yeah, and a chess board too! Only five days and a LOT of work!!!

WEEK C:  June 21 – June 25
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Clay & Multimedia
Basically, “Clay & Multimedia” means that we all do a clay project on Monday,
and then assorted other art projects Tuesday through Friday… with our hope
that all projects are ready to take home on Friday!

WEEK D:  June 28 – July 2nd
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK E:  July 5th – July 9th
AM: Wheelthrowing… enough said, the kids get to play on the wheel & make pots!!!
PM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK H:  July 26th – July 30th
AM: Fire. Forge. Feast… a week of fun teaching with metalsmith Pam Robinson
as we work with the kids to make a dinnerware set. Monday & Tuesday we make plates,
bowls & handles out of clay. Wednesday & Thursday we make knives, forks & spoons
out of metal. Friday we put it all together and have a class potluck lunch…
using their own handmade dinnerware set!

WEEK I:  August 2nd – August 6th
AM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK J:  August 9th – August 13th
AM/PM: Chess Camp #2 – another week, another challenge to finish full chess sets!
Thirty-two pieces, a chess board and a lot of work to get it all done in a week!

WEEK K:  August 16th – August 20th
AM: Wild Things – it’s a week full of animals and animal-themed projects!
Including a group field trip to Lincoln Park Zoo on Tuesday for inspiration!

WEEK L:  August 23rd – August 27th
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Hand & Wheel for 8 year olds – new this year… clay all week for 8-year old kids!

WEEK M:  August 30th – September 3rd
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Hand & Wheel for 8 year olds

WEEK N: collapse!

For more complete details on Summer Camp at Lillstreet, and the full schedule
of all the other camps for all ages, stop by Lillstreet or check them out online.
www.lillstreet.com.

At the same time, I will also be teaching my adult Beginning Wheelthrowing class
on Tuesday evenings from 7:00pm-10:00pm. Sign-up online for a class!

So tonight was Week #10 of our Beginning Wheel class. Boy this session really flew by?!
But tonight was the last class of the session – which we generally celebrate with a
potluck and sharing of pots & stories. Lots of food.. lots of fun… lots of desserts!!!
And then to cap it off, I challenged my students at the beginning of class with the idea
of doing a “bowl exchange” at the end of class. Everyone stepped it up and brought
a pot into class to exchange. So I “hid them” in brown bags so the exchange would be
a bit more anonymous, with a chance to trade & switch it up ala White Elephant games!!!

After all of the trading, and almost everyone having taken their turn, it came down to
two bags and two people to choose… me and Pam. Oddly enough, the pots in the
last two bags were by me and Pam?! Who’da thunk?! So I got Pam’s and Pam got mine.
Even stranger… of the whole class, we were the only two who had “donated” two pieces
into the mix. So I got two bowls by Pam, and she got a mug and a mini bowl of mine!
Her bowls were very sweet – one simple shino, the other subtle & creamy yellow salt.

Registration has begun at Lillstreet Art Center for the Early Summer 4-week session
and the Summer 8-week session. I will be teaching again on Tuesday evenings for both.
It is a Beginning & Advanced Beginning Wheelthrowing class. Ideal for those who have
never touched clay, as well as those who have some basic throwing skills but want more
time & instruction to further their skills. Sign-up soon… my class tends to fill up quickly!

Early Summer Session – 4 weeks: June 8th through June 29th
Summer Session – 8 weeks: July 13th though September 31st.

Note: if you are a full-fledged-never-thrown-on-a-wheel-before-beginner, I would highly
recommend the 8-week session over the 4-week session. It is tough to learn the entire
pottery process in just 4-weeks. Treat yourself to 8-weeks of fun… you’ll learn a lot more!

Contact Lillstreet Art Center or register online today!

Last night in my Beginning Wheel throwing class, some of my students asked
to do some basic handbuilding… so of course, I said yes. I think they’ve all realized
that throwing & trimming plates on the wheel is a little tougher than they expected.
And now they know that handbuilding is always an option… just because it’s a
wheelthrowing class, does not mean they can only make things on the wheel.
It’s just clay. And the wheel is just a tool.

So we started with some basic instruction & demonstration of pulling slabs and adding
some texture to them. Once decorated, the slab was then “draped” over a simple clay
coil “frame.” The plate slumps into the frame and the edge is smoothed & finished off.

Then, as a quick “show-stopper” demo… instant plates trimmed right off the block of clay!
Using a stretched out spring to cut the squiggles, and a straight wire to cut the under side.
Tonight, once they set-up a bit, I added some small feet to the underside for a bit of lift.
I can’t wait to see how these sculptural “plates” will turn out when the glaze pools!

Well, I just received my schedule for Summer Camp at Lillstreet Art Center.
I love camp. I love working with the kids. I love making art. I love laughing.
And the kids always make me laugh… their stories, their jokes, their enthusiasm.
By choice, I only teach the older age group, 8-12 year olds. I like that they are a bit older
and willing to express themselves through art… and learn about art at the same time.
As well as fulfilling my own “Summer Camp Rule #1″ – HAVE FUN!!!

So… barring any last minute changes, here’s my very full summer camp schedule!

WEEK A:  June 7 – June 11
AM: I’m only scheduled as the back-up teacher for Clay & Multimedia…
so if there’s a lot kids signed up for that week, I’m in.

WEEK B:  June 14 – June 18
AM/PM: Chess Camp #1… we only have a week for the kids to build an entire
thematic chess set out of terra cotta! They develop a theme of what their two
“competing” sides are, and then build them & paint them with underglaze.
Oh yeah, and a chess board too! Only five days and a LOT of work!!!

WEEK C:  June 21 – June 25
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Clay & Multimedia
Basically, “Clay & Multimedia” means that we all do a clay project on Monday,
and then assorted other art projects Tuesday through Friday… with our hope
that all projects are ready to take home on Friday!

WEEK D:  June 28 – July 2nd
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK E:  July 5th – July 9th
AM: Wheelthrowing… enough said, the kids get to play on the wheel & make pots!!!
PM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK H:  July 26th – July 30th
AM: Fire. Forge. Feast… a week of fun teaching with metalsmith Pam Robinson
as we work with the kids to make a dinnerware set. Monday & Tuesday we make plates,
bowls & handles out of clay. Wednesday & Thursday we make knives, forks & spoons
out of metal. Friday we put it all together and have a class potluck lunch…
using their own handmade dinnerware set!

WEEK I:  August 2nd – August 6th
AM: Clay & Multimedia

WEEK J:  August 9th – August 13th
AM/PM: Chess Camp #2 – another week, another challenge to finish full chess sets!
Thirty-two pieces, a chess board and a lot of work to get it all done in a week!

WEEK K:  August 16th – August 20th
AM: Wild Things – it’s a week full of animals and animal-themed projects!
Including a group field trip to Lincoln Park Zoo on Tuesday for inspiration!

WEEK L:  August 23rd – August 27th
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Hand & Wheel for 8 year olds – new this year… clay all week for 8-year old kids!

WEEK M:  August 30th – September 3rd
AM: Clay & Multimedia
PM: Hand & Wheel for 8 year olds

WEEK N: collapse!

For more complete details on Summer Camp at Lillstreet, and the full schedule
of all the other camps for all ages, stop by Lillstreet or check them out online.
www.lillstreet.com