I always love a good studio process shot… like these sweet cups coming along in Cory McCrory’s studio! Looks like they now have bottoms… moving along nicely for our collaboration project!

So it looks like my pottery pal & “collaboration cohort in crime” Cory McCrory has been working in her studio making some parts & pieces for our ART IN THE GARDEN collaboration project. I love her handbuilt pieces with wonderful textures & whimsy!

Can’t wait to see how these pieces come together… and now I guess I need to start making MY part of the collaboration too, huh?!

And just when you thought young Cullen’s handbuilt mugs couldn’t get any cuter… we painted them with colored slip on Friday. We finished off this week of summer camp with such focus & determination… making his family the perfect gifts!!!

Just received a new carved rolling pin from Elaine Diamond at Vermont Pottery Works @epdiamond! Ready to give it a test run!!! It worked great… with nice crisp lines & patterns. But I kinda like the overlapping & interaction of patterns… so I embellished a bit more with two other rollers. More is more, right?!

For more about these carved rolling pins, click here to check out Elaine’s website!

With some colored slips, the kids’ handbuilt mugs really came together today! They finished up detailing their handbuilt mugs, and then added a layer of colored slips to bring them to life. After they’re bisque fired, a layer of clear glaze will make then shiny & a bit more colorful. So much fun to see these projects come together with some great Summer Campers!!!

On Thursday, my morning summer campers did a handbuilding project… making handbuilt slab mugs with a theme! I challenged them to make two mugs that “go together” to tell a creative story… like day & night… like fire & water… like Harry Pottery & Voldemort!!! They may look a little “crusty” & “smudgey” right now, but I’m confident that when we add some colored slips they’ll all come together. I mean, they’re so cute already…

For our SCULPTURE CAMP “Gallery Show,” the kids got their sculptural flowerpots back from the kiln… and then we planted each of them with a flowering kalanchoe plant. A bright pop of color to brighten up the Gallery Show at Lillstreet!

One of my summer campers today made her own potted cactus… guaranteed NOT to die!!! She threw the flowerpot on the wheel, and then handbuilt the cactus. She connected the two & then painted them with colored slips. What a great idea… well done Sophia!

In addition to wheelthrowing plates in class tonight… one of my students asked about making handbuilt plates. Sure, it’s a wheelthrowing class, but I’m always up for a good “Demo-On-Demand”!!! So I taught them how to throw a slab, add a little texture and drape it into a slump mold. It was my first time using this mold… kind of excited to see how it turns out. Not bad for an impromptu plate demo!!!

After soda-firing, my chain looks great with some flashing marks to help accentuate the textures on some of the links. Might not be what all of the metalsmiths expected from a chain challenge… but I think I succeeded again! Yeah, I’ll show them!!! HA!!!

#2021chainchallenge – #handmadechain – #chainlinks2021