Okay, so the blue painter’s tape might not be part of Sarah’s project… HA!… because now she’s moved onto larger metal pieces! Just a preview glimpse at what Sarah Chapman is working on for our “4×4 : FOUR MAKERS” collaboration project. In her own words… she’s WORKING BIG!”

Check out more of Sarah’s work on her beautiful website… www.chapmanmetals.com

Looks like metalsmith Sarah Chapman is first to dive into her shadowboxes! Known more for making fantastic, wearable jewelry, it will be fun to see Sarah work on a bit larger scale to “fill” the frame. Looks like she’s off to a good start… with a great hint as to the collaboration theme we’re all working with!!! HA!!!

Be sure to check out Sarah’s amazing work – www.chapmanmetals.com

Inside the “care-package” were shadowbox picture frames for our upcoming “4×4 : FOUR MAKERS” pop-up show in a little over a week! These beautiful frames were HANDMADE by one of our four artists… Meghann Sottile! Such beautiful design & craftsmanship… with some crazy-cool corner joinery going on! So now each of the four artists needs to put something equally cool inside… worthy of these beautiful frames… that goes along with our thematic collaboration project. “4×4″… four artists, four frames each… sixteen in the collaboration!

Coming soon to Space 900 Gallery in Evanston – 816 Dempster, Evanston, Illinois
Friday, February 28. Saturday, March 1. Sunday, March 2

Just a quick sandwich before teaching class tonight. And you know I love a good “holiday.” So I’m celebrating NATIONAL FLUFFERNUTTER DAY!!! A whimsical sandwich on a whimsical plate made by my pottery pal Cory McCrory! My favorite “collaborator” unknowingly collaborating on my tasty celebration!!!

Just when you thought they couldn’t top themselves…
the crazy folks at OREO’s have done it!!!

A crazy cross-collaboration with Coca-Cola! Yep, this week we tried the Coca-Cola flavored OREOs in my pottery classes!!! Much better than I expected… with two-color cookies… so “on-brand”… and just a little dash of carbonation!!! No, seriously…

We also had a can of OREO-flavored Coca-Cola! I didn’t try it… since I swore off caffeinated sodas over 30 years ago as a New Years Resolution! Don’t want to break it now… and trust me, no one needs to see me all hopped up on caffeine! I’m a bit too much already!!! Ha!!!

Looks like Cory McCrory is in the final stages here… with some clear glaze in all the right places! Yes, that mint green color is actually a low-fire CLEAR glaze! So it will make all of Cory’s underglaze colors a lot more vibrant. And it will make the terra cotta areas darker & shinier than the “raw” terra cotta areas. Can’t believe ART IN THE GARDEN is this weekend already… but it is good to know that these are already in the final kiln firing. So I think Cory has timed it perfect… although they might just be “a little warm” when they come out of the kiln just in time for this weekend’s art fair!

After the underglaze is wiped away, everything shows up so much better. All of the grooves, stamps, textures & Cory’s whimsical additions! These are looking so fun… can’t wait to show-off these collaboration pieces at ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend!!! – “Cory, you’re killin’ it!!!”

To help highlight my stamped textures & her handbuilt details, Cory does a wash of dark underglaze. It fills all of the stamps & seams… and then gets gently wiped off leaving the underglaze only in the recesses. And it really helps make the colors POP!!!

While all of our collaboration pieces are safely in the final glaze kiln firing…. I’m just sharing a few more production photos from Cory McCrory’s studio! More underglaze painting to make all of the parts & pieces even more fun!!! Just hoping these all look great when they come out of the kiln for ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend!

ART IN THE GARDEN is just a few days away… and the collaboration pieces are coming together nicely… I see COLOR!!! My pal & co-collaborator Cory McCrory has been working so diligently in her studio adding her own special sense of whimsy to every piece! We can’t wait to show-off the finished flower pots this weekend in Glenview! Remember, there are a limited quantity of these colorful collaborations!