Things are coming together… quite literally…
and looking fairly dramatic with the early morning sun streaming in!

By the end of Thursday night’s class, my LILLSTREET THROWDOWNers had some amazing woven bowls & plates. Some of them were still a bit to wet to pop off of their forms, and some tried too soon… but we all loved the results & they had a great time trying a new process. I think they felt they could do it… especially when I told them that my Summer Campers have done it too. And if the kids can do it… these competitive adults can do it too!!! And they gladly accepted the challenge!!!

This week in the GREAT LILLSTREET THROWDOWN, my students presented their colorized mugs from last week’s handbuilding challenge. The goal was to add enough color & style tot hem that they can just be glazed in clear later… and still be colorful & striking!!! They all did a great job trying to accentuate the texture patterns, without totally covering them up! Sadly, we had one “implosion” as Ellen was trying to several layers of underglazes & underglaze decals for a quilt-like effect. But found out there might have been too much water & pressure used on her bone-dry porcelain mugs?! Luckily, she has plans to use those shards for making some small jewelry pieces later.

Another challenge accomplished… after just two hours, my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN‘ers all had fun sets of four handbuilt mugs!!! Each of them featuring fun textures & patterns from MKM Pottery Tools … and special congratulations to Emily for winning first place as a first-time handbuilder!!! I think she might be a prodigy… or a Throwdown Ringer???

Next up?… at the end of the class, they were faced with another challenge in another envelope. I gave them the chance to skip the task in the envelope, but if we opened the envelope they would all HAVE TO follow whatever was inside! They discussed the options, but in the end chose to open the envelope!!!

Turns out their next challenge is now to “color-ize” their mugs with colored slips or underglazes… to highlight the textures & patterns!!! They will bring them back to the next class all decorated… knowing that down the road they can only glaze them with clear glaze!!!

With only two hours to create their four “matching” handbuilt mugs, my LILLSTREET THROWDOWN‘ers were crazy busy working at tables all around the room. Some had more control of their process… while some were flying by the seat of heir pants while tackling their first ever handbuilding project!!! All in all, they were all quite impressive… even though they were approaching the task from several different directions! So much fun for ME to watch & “comment on” along the way!

LILLSTREET THROWDOWN : Challenge #10…
Handbuild the tallest cylinder in ten minutes… same as before... hollow, free-standing with a bottom. Coincidentally, it was Shannon & Joanna that did the same “cylinder challenge” on the wheel earlier in class!

LILLSTREET THROWDOWN : Challenge #4…
Handbuild a perfect egg… hollow while using 1.75 pounds of clay in 10 minutes!!! Ellen versus Ruth… pinch pots but with two different approaches. One went equal half & half, while the other went fat end, skinny end!!!

Doing one thing on Texture Tuesday… REPLENISHING!!!

With summer over… so are the Summer Art Fairs! But always fun to look back to a fun art fair highlight! I loved the collaboration birdhouses I made with my pal Cory McCrory for ART IN THE GARDEN… and the excited shoppers who scored one of the ten colorful birdhouses! Such a fun collaboration project… and so fun seeing everyone with their whimsical new birdhouses!

Can’t wait to do another collaboration with Cory for next year…
for the 10th Anniversary of ART IN THE GARDEN!!!

And an extra special birdhouse… where she “just had to have” this birdhouse with the two bluebirds on top. And then she explained that she is a TWIN… and loved the two birds on top!!!

Another “sneak peek” into the ART IN THE GARDEN collaborations… this time it’s a glimpse into Cory McCrory’s studio! And some of the parts & pieces that she’s making to add onto our terra cotta birdhouses! I can’t wait to see how her whimsical handbuilding skills add to my birdhouses! Big debut next weekend in Glenview!

More info – www.grassrootsartfair.com