Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: art fair, artists, collaborations, flower pots, terra cotta

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!!!”

Categories: art fair, artists, collaborations, flower pots, terra cotta

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!!!

Categories: art fair, collaborations, flower pots, terra cotta

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!

Categories: art fair, artists, collaborations, color, flower pots, terra cotta

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!

Categories: art fair, artists, collaborations, flower pots, stamped, terra cotta

Well, it looks like the collaboration project is finally “collaborating” together! Yep… this year it’s terra cotta flowerpots for the WIN!!! I made all of the flowerpots & water saucers with my stamping, and now Cory is adding her own special sort of handbuilt whimsy! Love her creativity… even more when you see them come together in COLOR!!! More photos to come… as the “Big Reveal” will happen at ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend in Glenview!

Categories: art fair, flower pots, process, production, terra cotta

One last step before I hand them off to Cory McCrory to start her part of our collaboration project for ART IN THE GARDEN. It’s one of the coolest parts of that art fair… where all of the artists have a chance to do some fun collaboration projects with other artists. One-of-a-kind artworks that may never happen again! Just a great chance for we artists to “play together”.. and then share our craft with all of you. And some lucky customers will get to go home with these pieces at ART IN THE GARDEN. More to come…

Categories: flower pots, production, terra cotta, wheelthrowing

Kinda diggin’ this early morning production thing! Cranking out some flower pots early this morning… before heading back outside to play this afternoon! Gotta get these moving… as ART IN THE GARDEN is now just two weeks away!

Categories: flower pots, soda-fired, stamped

Janice stopped by the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR… and picked up a stamped & soda-fired flower pot. And now it looks like her little plant is just loving its new home! Thanks for sharing Janice!

Categories: flower pots, flowers

More “seasonal confusion” as another Easter Cactus just started blooming at home!
Fun little explosions of white petals in a stamped & soda-fired flowerpot.

Categories: classes, flower pots, flowers

Last night in my Intermediate Wheelthrowing class, we celebrated our last class of session with a fun trading game. The category was a handmade orchid pot with a live orchid in it. Beautiful pots & beautiful flowers… thanks to those of you who participated… Christine, Darcy, Claire & Tessa!

My entry in the game was this last one… purple glazed with a purple orchid. It worked out well for me… as it was also a class demo on “carving” a few weeks earlier for my Surface Decoration class!