This summer I reunited with a couple of my best friends from High School! They surprised me by showing up at ART IN THE GARDEN in August… completely unexpected! I haven’t seen them for YEARS!!! It was such a sweet surprise to see Anna & Jenn and their families right there in my art fair booth… SURPRISE!!! Especially their adorable Mom who has know me since our High School days!
So it’s extra special to see Mom’s display of my pottery pieces on her table (along with a Cory McCrory plate!)… but it’s the baby photos of Anna & Jenn that kill me!!! Could that BE any cuter… let’s just say they’re both several decades older now… but still just as cute!!!
So this story has been a LONG time coming. You’ve seen glimpses of my birds… a few feathers here & there… a couple beaks popping up. But I’ve never really explained the whole reason I was making jars with birds on them. And NO, it was not to honor the show PORTLANDIA!
It all started last March… When I received a phone call early on in the Covid Shutdown… sometime towards the end of March. It was the husband of one of my art fair friends. I had met Anne at one of my summer art fairs several years ago. I always loved her beautiful watercolor paintings… mostly birds, flowers & plants. Very realistic… great compositions… kinda like Audubon illustrations!
Derek had some bad news to share – that his wife Anne had passed away. Not from Covid, but from other long-term health issues. Just that the timing couldn’t be any worse with all of the Covid shutdowns & quarantining. He shared the story of how his wife Anne passed away, and that she was going to be cremated and needed an urn for her ashes. The story goes on that she wanted me to make the urn for her ashes… as I was her favorite potter & art fair friend. Derek wanted the urn to be stamped & soda-fired like the rest of my work she loved… and also the beautiful teal-blue glaze that I use frequently. I’m not a big fan of doing special orders… but under these circumstances how could I say no?! I couldn’t… it would be an honor.
But then the story & requests continued… He said that he also wanted a few smaller versions of the urn for their children to have as keepsakes. So now I would be making a whole “flock” or urns. Especially as they were going to be soda-fired and you never know for sure how the pieces will come out after the firing. So to hedge my bets, I knew I would have to make an extra or two of each size.
And oh, but wait there’s more… the requests continued… Since Anne was a wonderful watercolor painter, and her imagery frequently featured birds… you can see it coming now, right?... he asked if I could work a bird of some sort onto each of the urns. A little homage to Anne and her work. So I was already “in” for the large urn… and the small urns… and the soda-firing… and the “extras”… and now they needed birds?! Whew! This was just getting better & better!!! But you know I always love a good challenge.
My head started to spin. How to do a bird? Can I make a bird stamp? Should it be painted on like her work? Could it be a stencil?… or a decal? Should it be three-dimensional?… or more two-dimensional like her paintings? So many options… not enough decisions. I would have to ponder this one!
I explained that with the whole Covid shut-down & quarantine, I couldn’t commit to a date of when I would get them done. I had no idea then if or when there might be another soda-firing at Lillstreet Art Center… as Lillstreet was closed down too. Luckily, I had access to my studio so I could make the pieces during the “shelter-at-home” order… and I felt safe going to work in my studio at night as there was no one else in the whole building! So I started making the pieces… I just didn’t know when they would get soda-fired. He agreed and understood my dilemma.
So I started by throwing them as lidded jars. I stamped the patterns onto them… and trimmed them when they were ready. I flipped the jar over and threw the pedestal portion onto the bottom.
And then while the urns were under wraps drying to leatherhard, I went online to see a few of Anne’s birds on her website for inspiration.
I’ve seen a many of them for years at the art fairs, as well as a few of them at my parent’s house. There are several of her pieces hanging up in my Dad’s place!
So then I started assembling the birds. I decided to go three-dimensional and to add them to the tops of the jars – kinda like a glorified knob! So I started doing a little handbuilding. A little assembly line for my feathered friends! Basically starting with little pinch pots… and then connecting them to make the bodies. I kept the parts & pieces in a small damp box to keep the pieces viable longer.
And a few little leaves to add in later…
Then it was tails… I loved how they started to look more & more like birds as each step happened!
And then it was time for wings…
Finally it was time to start attaching the birds to the lids… as they would be the “knobs” on top! And of course, every bird needs a good branch to rest on, right?! I found that some folded post-it notes were useful to keep things propped in the right places while the clay set-up.
Finally the parts & pieces were coming together. I started finishing the lidded jars… with a couple extra lids “just in case” something went wrong somewhere along the process. It was time for a slow & gradual drying. I kept them under plastic for a few days… only unwrapping them for an hour or so every day when I was in the studio. I didn’t want anything to crack by drying too fast.
Eventually they were dry and made their way into the bisque kiln. Still so fragile… can’t wait to get through this precarious part of the process.
It’s always so good to see these little code letters… CPLT… complete!!! Especially when the kiln has such precious pieces in it. Everything is so fragile when it’s just dried clay… kinda like a piece of chalk. But after bisque firing, they are a LOT more stable & solid… and a huge sigh of relief.
After bisque firing, it was time to start adding some color to them. I used some red iron oxide to stain the branches. Some green underglazes on the leaves. I knew that the soda-firing process would work its “magic” on the pieces to some extent… but I wanted some hints of color to help tell the story!
Then I sprayed the urns with a bit of green glaze – knowing that it would turn to the drippy teal color Anne liked so much when it gets hit with the soda atmosphere during the firing. It was tough getting a good coat of glaze on the urns without getting too much on the birds & branches!
The urns finally made it into my Spring soda firing. It was so weird to be working in my studio so much during the shut-down. They kept telling us to shelter-at-home, to self-isolate, and to stay safe. It felt totally safe to be working in my studio as they was no one else in the building. But at the same time, also weird to be working to fill an entire soda kiln with work already knowing that my Summer art fairs were all being cancelled due to Covid-19. Scary times not knowing where your income would come from as the pandemic raged on.
So I fired the soda-kiln and felt a little anxious when it came time to unload the kiln. I had put so much work into these pieces – and had so much riding on it. Such a meaningful & sentimental project. I would be devastated if they were ruined by a bad firing.
Whew… they turned out great!
But then when I talked to Derek to tell him they were ready to pick up, he said “I can’t wait to see the cardinals!”
Wait… what?! I’d never heard the request for “cardinals” anywhere along this commission process. My birds were all kinda “generic” and bird-like. So I had a moment of panic… can I turn them into cardinals quickly?!!!
I asked a couple artist friends of mine… and thanks to Susan Volk, we came up with a plan to paint them with enamel paints. I didn’t want to paint them totally, but apply enough to give them the “feeling” of cardinals… as I knew I could NEVER paint them as well as Anne would have.
I did like the way the enamel paints worked so well on the soda-fired surfaces. In some places actually leaving some texture & randomness like the soda-firing.
Soon enough they were all painted… and I now had CARDINALS!!!
But then when I had them all done… I was kinda put “on hold” in terms of posting pictures of them!
Derek wanted me to keep them a little bit of a “surprise” for his kids who would be getting the keepsake urns. So I kinda stopped posting… and left a lot of people here online just hanging!
With “teaser” photos kinda like this one…
But now that they’re all done & Derek picked them up… I can finally share the finished results. And carry on with the story!!! So here are the finished urns. Stamped, soda-fired, teal-blue glaze color AND a bird as requested!!!
Urn #1 ———————————————————————–
Urn #2 —————————————————-
Urn #3 ————————————————
Urn #4 ———————————————————–
Urn #5 ————————————————————–
Urn #6 ———————————————
Urn #7 —————————————————-
Urn #8 ———————————————
Sure the birds turned out pretty cute… but I was still enamored by some of the shadows & stamped details. Cuz’ that’s kinda my jam!
Derek came to my studio to pick out the urns that he wanted. It was such a special moment. Appropriately awkward. Precious. Sentimental. Everything it should have been. He was so taken by them… it brought a tear to his eyes! He took his time and chose the ones he wanted. So glad that I fulfilled the commission… and that he LOVED them!
As it was still a “surprise” for his kids, I’ve kept it pretty quiet. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise… or give away too many clues. I held onto the “extras” for awhile just in case something “bad” happened along the way. I wanted to make sure that Derek had all of the urns he wanted… and that he wasn’t going to come back to get another one or two.
So now I’ve got a couple extra bird urns… err, from now on we’ll call them BIRD JARS!!!
To finish out our commission project, Derek offered me one of Anne’s original watercolor paintings as payment. Sure, I could have charged him cash… but I suggested a painting… as it felt so much more meaningful to give her my art in return for some of her art. I knew her as a wonderful watercolor artist… and I will remember her always as that. Especially every time I see her artwork on my wall.
This is now MY wonderful Anne Gilna original piece!
We will all miss you Anne Gilna. You made the world a much more beautiful space. Your spirit & talent lives on in so many ways & so many places.
I made a trip to MAURIE’S SUGAR SHOP in Eureka to drop-off some pottery… and apparently my friends Keith & Julie timed it PERFECTLY as they we’re just finishing a batch of homemade caramel popcorn! The smell was intoxicating, the process fascinating… and my little cup of fresh, warm caramel corn was AMAZING!!! Be sure to check them out… your sweet tooth will be glad you did!
This past weekend should have been the big “One Of A Kind Show” here in Chicago, but with all of the craziness going on they’ve gone virtual too. Trying everything they can to help promote their artists. So take the tour of her beautiful space where she makes her beautiful work!
If you want to see more of her beautiful work, or to buy a special holiday gift, click here for her website!
Gotta love a yummy cupcake from Sprinkles… especially when your friend Katie brings it over as a surprise… and knows that I “might” just have a certain affection for OREO’s!!! Looking so fancy on a stamped & soda-fired platter… sadly, it just makes it look like I need MORE CUPCAKES!!! Ha!!! Thanks again Katie!!!
After the turkey… looks like my “second family” friends down in Chenoa had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday while using some of their pottery collection. From the looks of it, the turkey was great… and the pie looks yummy!
I was invited, but decided it was best to stay home & stay safe! Thanks for sharing your photos Kelly… and thanks again for the invite. I just wish I could have joined you all.
So this all started with an ongoing thread of text messages. With the virus ramping up again as predicted, many people are taking their temperatures throughout the day. Just checking to make sure everything is still good. But the question apparently is… “WHERE do I store my thermometer?!”
In some Gary Pottery apparently…
And then the “trend” seemed to be catching on… and showing up on the text thread…
But then the question was… Where are the apples??? Oh, right there next to the mini vase… now called a thermometer holder!
And some people seemed to have too many apples… which look yummy... so they needed an additional “apple bowl”
And then another entry in the mix… not quite sure that thermometer will tell you if you have the flu or not… but it will tell you if you’re poultry, lamb or smoked ham!!!
But again the question… Where are the apples?!
Apparently this time… not “quite” an apple, or at least not a natural apple… but the faux apple does look pretty great on this large green stamped platter!
As the trend of apples & Gary Pottery seemed to be catching on… another entry of an Apple with “one of Gary’s rare cat steins.” Well played…
To which I quickly responded… “That cat stein is SO RARE that I’d be lying… err, make that fe-lyin’… to say that I’ve ever made one of those.”
Matthew’s response was… “But how do you explain this?”
Apparently I had “signed” the bottom of this??? HA!!! I had just forgotten & blocked this one out of my memory!!!
Just two of the special treats we made last Sunday at MAURIE’S SUGAR SHOPPE for their “Monster Mash” even this Thursday night! So much fun playing with candy making festive treats… could be part of my new “edible” Ghouls Collection? Ha!!! Thanks to Keith & Julie for giving me a Golden Ticket to get into the candy factory!!!
A special event like Maurie’s “MONSTER MASH” requires special treats, right?! So on Sunday we got together in the candy shop to make some Halloween magic! You know I love making my own Ghouls Collection… but this is the first time I got to make them with chocolates, marshmallows & candies!… FRANKENPOPS!!!
If you’re anywhere near Eureka, Illinois this Thursday night from 5:00-8:00pm, be sure to swing by MAURIE’S SUGAR SHOPPE for some special Halloween Treats… and the BEST caramel apples anywhere!!!
My friends Keith & Julie are now running a fun candy shop in Eureka, Illinois… and I felt like I had found a Golden Ticket when I got to play in the kitchen with them all day making sweet treats on Sunday!!! Imagine ME in a candy store surrounded with sweets, marshmallows and a never-ending swirl of tempered chocolate!!!
MAURIE’S SUGAR SHOPPE was a longtime favorite in Pekin, Illinois. Sadly that location closed years ago, and now the tradition has been brought back… this time in Eureka, Illinois! Same recipes, yummy treats, updated goodies… and the BEST caramel apples anywhere!!!
