So today is NATIONAL “TALK LIKE A PIRATE” DAY!!!… aaarrgh Matey!!!

So what better day to “reveal” the doodle & the first prototype of this year’s new addition to The Ghouls Collection?! Sure, he’s cute now… but wait until he’s all painted in colors!!! They’ll be “sailing in” to “plunder” ART IN THE BARN this weekend!!!

The first of many “details” added to my new “Ghoul”… and many more pieces & parts added throughout a full day in the studio. A lot of scoring & slipping… but it’s always good to have a plan. I struggle each year to finalize my “Ghoul Plan”… but once I have a sketchy doodle on my work table that I like… I’m all in!

Moving right along… forty faces done… next up?… character details! The newest addition to The Ghouls Collection is well under way… gotta have them all done by next weekend! Yikes!!! The “big reveal” happens at ART IN THE BARN in Barrington!

Colorful & whimsical… that’s our Cory McCrory!!!

Looks like her flowers have already come out of the glaze kiln… shining & vibrant. Now they need some stems & then they’ll be all ready for ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend…. although quantities are limited, so come early!!! Oh yeah, and one of my wall vases to put them in!

With ART IN THE GARDEN less than a week away, we’re all working quickly to get our collaborations done by this weekend! Looks like Cory is still adding bright colors to her flowers…. making them fun, keeping them whimsical. Love them Cory… can’t wait to see people picking some of your flowers to go in my vases!!!

Looks like a great collaboration plan is coming together… keep it coming Cory!!!

So here’s your first sneak peek at Cory McCrory’s textured beauties for ART IN THE GARDEN! Even without her whimsical colors, these handbuilt flowers are looking INCREDIBLE!!! I can’t wait to see them once Cory adds her fun colors & stains! I’m thinking that maybe these flowers are going to need a fun textured wall vase to hold them… oh wait… I “might” know something about that too?!!!

So now that my textured slab vases are moving along, it looks like my pal Cory McCrory is moving along with her part of the collaboration too! More to come…

The gourds are looking even better… now with some accents of colored flashing slips! Can’t wait to see what these look like when they come out of my next soda kiln firing!!! I have high hopes…

While everything else is speeding along in the studio… racing towards my next firing… I did find time to make some more gourds!!! I mean, pumpkins are cool… but I personally think gourds are even cooler!!!