This is our final week of classes for the Winter session at Lillstreet… and we like to celebrate with a group potluck. And if you bake a double batch of brownies… you can bring them to both Monday & Tuesday night classes.

Yes… voice of experience!!!

Another “monstrously“ fun night at the LILLSTREET THROWDOWN this past week!!! For their final handbuilding challenge… we took inspiration from Gretchen the “Master Monster Maker”… @biggirlco . I’ve loved seeing her monsters online over the years. So I shared her page with my class… discussed being “inspired” by her work… and definitely making our own versions & not copying hers!

So my class had just over two hours to make their own “free-standing” monster… with a minimum of 12” tall. Not an easy assignment… especially with a time restraint. Handbuilding takes time… as they learned… “wet clay” typically doesn’t want to stand up on its own! Everyone had a GREAT time… thanks again to Gretchen @biggirlco for the inspiration! We hope we did you proud!!!

This week we tried the latest OREO creation… based on the Marvel comics!

But I have a couple questions… like why would I care about Marvel characters on my cookies? Or why would I want GREY cream in my OREOs?? And more importantly… why would I want them to turn BLUE when I lick them??? Well… apparently I was wrong… and we had a lot of fun with them in all three of my classes!!! I fear that the blue dye is still wearing off…

Tomorrow is class registration at Lillstreet Art Center for the Spring session of pottery classes. I will be teaching my usual Intermediate Wheel on Monday nights, Beginning Wheel on Tuesday nights & a once-a-year special Surface Decoration class on Thursday nights. Registration begins at 10:00am… in-person & online. But I will say… that ever since Covid, it seems like registering for a pottery class is pretty tough! My classes will typically fill-up & close in about five minutes! Everyone jokes… but sadly, it’s not very funny… that registration at Lillstreet has become kinda like “The Hunger Games.”

Here’s the online link…. and good luck… www.lillstreet.com

Just unloaded two bisque kilns for my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN students. So much fun seeing their “Main Make” pieces coming together. Lots of soup tureens, bowls, ladles & spoons comin’ out of the kilns this morning. Now they’ve got a lot of glazing to do!!!

With my Intermediate students, we’re all working on “chip & dip bowls.” We’ve already thrown the traditional “all-in-one-piece” chip & dip. But last night we tackled a little gravity-defying stacked version! Fingers crossed… as I always love a class demo where we’re all trying something new.

Well, it’s cold & flu season… so last night in my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, the handbuilding challenge was a decorative Kleenex box cover! Many of my students are “not” handbuilders, so this pushed them out of their comfort zones… that and the time constraints. I also brought in my collection of textured handrollers from MKM Pottery Tools in case they wanted to try them. With just 90 minutes for this task, there were some great learning moments, some frustrated re-starts & eventually some great box covers! Well done team!!!

Well, here’s Part Two of last night’s class demo with my Beginners. It was time to start encouraging them to “play” with their clay more. To alter, stretch, bend, color & decorate more! So I shared some quick tricks & techniques for them to do to their own pots… just hoping they try a couple of them!!!

And here they are… one by one…

And then THIS happened!!! While my students were practicing making their bowls, I quickly threw a few more… getting ready for Part Two of my demo. When we start altering, decorating & playing with our clay more!

Last night’s class demo for my Beginners started like this!
Showing them how to throw “a bowl on purpose… and not a cylinder gone bad.”