Tiny textured nuggets… now in fun colors!!!
Can’t wait for “my plan” to come together later this summer…

Celebrating a little “monochromatic” Mugshot Monday… with this shot from my friend Kelly. The mug, the vase, the plant in the back… a trio of textures all kinda in the same color family!

My favorite part of the Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden was the section dedicated to the Holi Festival. Wonderful orchid arrangements on the walks, dramatic lighting & colorful powders splattered everywhere!!! During Holi, a Hindu festival celebrating Spring and the triumph of good over evil, people throw colored powder & water at each other as a joyful and symbolic act of unity, forgiveness & the celebration of new beginnings.

Something it seems like we all could use a bit of these days!!!

Not quite sure what plant this was… but I think it was my favorite one there! Not part of the Orchid Show per se… but this huge vine is growing up & over a large doorway with these humongous dangling clusters of flowers… in the coolest color ever. A greenish-bluish-seafoamyish color I felt I might have never even seen before?!!!

So I was painting some pots with a colored flashing slip… and it matched the clay body color too much. It was tough to see where I had painted already. So I added some basic food coloring to the slip to make it more orange! Problem solved… and the food color will burn out & not affect the final results. Plus, as an added bonus… you get this groovy tie-dyed effect as the food coloring “spreads” on the surface before you stir it up!

So I was spray painting some bisque the other day… as I have repeatedly for several years right around this time. It has always worked perfectly… but this time it peeled right off??? Wait, what??? Same paints. Same bisque. Same everything???

The only thing I can think of is that I didn’t give it enough time to dry between the layers of different two different paints. Because shortly after spraying the second layer… it all peeled off like a fine layer of gold leaf?!

So I peeled it all off like a bad sunburn, did some quick sanding… and spray painted again. This time with an “overnight” between layers of paint. And it looks perfectly good & sparkly!!! WHEW!!!

Remains of the day… hard to believe this “shadow” is still here a year later?! Time to do it again!!!

And a few close-up shots so you can see a few of the details, textures & bling!!!
Shades of blue… hence the theme… “Interpretations of Blue.”

Last, but not least…these are MY four pieces for the collaboration… “Interpretations of Blue.” Not surprisingly, I went with a lot of textures… and a more than a few tiles. Although these tiny textured tiles are smaller than I’ve ever made before! Finished in shades of blue, a few metallic accents & a tiny bit of bling if you very closely!!!

Just. finding more ways to make cool patterns with my MKM Pottery Tools handrollers. You know I “loves me” some cool textures!

Coming together in a collaboration project very soon!