My friend Nancy had an opening tonight in the gallery of ClaySpace in Lisle, Illinois.
“A Feast of Bowls”... just bowls, nothing else. But bowls of all sizes & uses.

It was several years ago that Nancy and I were on a bike ride in southern Indiana when we stopped for lunch. While walking around Nashville, Indiana we stumbled upon a small potter’s studio. It was then that Nancy suggested we take a pottery class. She did the research and found Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago. We both took our Beginning Wheelthrowing class… and have never looked back. So it’s all HER fault that I now have this crazy clay addiction!!!

Anyway, enough about me… Nancy took some time off from clay to get married, have a kid and move to the suburbs. But is now back in full swing as a Resident Artist at ClaySpace in Lisle. It was fun to go out there tonight to support a good friend, see her beautiful bowls and explore another ceramic studio space.

“A Feast Of Bowls” runs through the end of the month if need a new bowl or two!

Click here for more of Nancy’s pottery.

Spent a couple hours in the studio tonight layering & wedging
my latest batch of porcelain reclaim.
EIGHTY-SEVEN POUNDS of FREE CLAY!!!

Well worth a little bit of labor.
And now I have 87 pounds of FREE porcelain potential!!!

Another batch of porcelain reclaim on the plaster bat setting up a bit…
wedging to commence soon!

Once a piece of pottery leaves my hands I always kind of wonder where it ends up. So it’s been so much fun to see some photos of their final homes. Like these in JoAnn’s house… two tiled mirrors and three textured wall pillows. Perfectly framing the doorway. Perfectly lit to help accentuate the textures.

Ya’ gotta love a gift wrapped in “that special” wrapping that kind of gives away the fun inside. So excited to open and find out what Christmas Gift I’m getting from my friend Sarah Chapman. She knows I have an extensive Mug Collection. So my guess is it’s a mug?! But the really cool part is that it was part of a Surprise Grab Bag of gifts at the Northern Clay Center. So it’s all very random… and I guess all we can assume is that it’s going to be clay?!!!

The Big Reveal… still to come…

So I did the MUD…
and now Amy Taylor is figuring out her METAL side of the project. We decided to do a little collaboration for our “MUD & METAL” Collaborative Holiday Home Show. We’ve been trying to keep it under wraps… but I can’t resist. So here’s a quick glimpse of my part of the project. And I can’t wait to see what Amy does with them…

Mark your calendar for this Saturday 12/12 at my place for the Big Reveal.
MUD & METAL :  A Collaborative Holiday Home Show
Saturday, December 12th from 10:00-6:00pm.
At my condo : 1353 West Rosemont #3, Chicago, Illinois 60660

A pile of porcelain potential. Just throwing a quick batch to replenish a bit for the
Second Holiday Home Show on Saturday, December 12th.
Mark your calendars… and bring your friends!!!

C’mon now, so who DOESN’T love a good doughnut?
Well, there’s a great installation of “glazed” doughnuts currently in The Gallery of Lillstreet Art Center. The non-edible treats were created by Jae Yong Kim. Each one more yummy than the next!!! My Beginning Wheel class got a little “sneak peek” at them as Gallery Director Brian was installing the collection. My stomach has been grumbling over them ever since!

Some even have “sprinkles” which are REAL Swarovski crystals!!!

If you would like to see them in person, there is a Closing Reception tomorrow evening in the Gallery. And then sadly, the doughnuts will most likely be packed up and shipped off this weekend. So you’ve only got a few days left to see them. Be sure to swing by after seeing all of the crazy-cool art at SOFA Chicago this weekend!!!

Another great clay creature on the student “Brag Shelf” at Lillstreet last night.
Someone is making adorable little monsters!

Working up another batch of porcelain reclaim clay. It’s been slaking down in my reclaim tub, and then turned out onto a large plaster bat. I love how the clay “releases” from the plaster and kind of rolls right up when it’s ready to be wedged. Batch #1 done… about four more of the same still to do. Gotta love FREE CLAY!!!