WHOO-HOO!!! Huge congratulations to my friend Pam Walden who crossed the Finish Line just minutes ago in her first IRONMAN triathlon. Her time was 16:05… yes, that’s 16 hours!!! Good time for a long day with a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 run. Crazy, right?! She’s a stud… and I must admit that I’m kinda jealous right now. Just a tiny bit. Way to go Pammy!!!

Age is an issue of mind over matter.
If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
                                              – Mark Twain

So Bowl #1 of my class demo was the “plain” smooth one. The bowl that was the basis for all bowls to follow. Tonight I trimmed the bowls and had “trouble” leaving it plain. It’s so not me.  So I figured a little carving here & there couldn’t hurt, right?

So I started to carve out a pattern using the rounded edge of my loop trimming tool. I started with a smaller one for the first couple rows, and then switched to a slightly larger one for the rest of the carving marks.

So much better than the “plain” bowl, right??? And thanks to Amy Higgason of Pigeon Road Pottery for the carving & detailing inspiration. She came and did a quickie workshop for my class a few session s ago and taught everyone this technique. So easy. So beautiful. So much better than a “plain” bowl.

And if a full coverage of loop tool carvings is good… why not add a knick of the sgraffito tool in the center of each one? Because you can… and I did. Thanks again Amy.

My friend & fellow potter Pam Kinsmith is raising money on Kickstarter for an upcoming ceramic show. Her fundraising efforts here will help defray the costs of the venue & marketing for the event. Then potters around the country (like me) are donating mugs for her to sell during the event for the Foster Care System. Each cup in the show “represents” a foster kid in the system hoping to “Find Their Forever.” Please consider contributing to this worthwhile cause. Do it for the “kids”…

Click here to donate on Kickstarter... only six days left!!!

“Can we talk?”…

Another comedian gone too soon.
Another sad day with the passing of comedy legend Joan Rivers.

She was one of my favorite comedians. Always telling it like it is.
I’m pretty sure I wore out my cassette tape of “What Becomes A Semi-Legend Most.”

From her early days of stand-up, to hosting “The Tonight Show”, to one of my favorite guilty-pleasures “Fashion Police.” With a sharp tongue, a quick wit and an infectious laugh, she could always make me smile. Whether making fun of a celebrity, politicians or herself, Joan could always make it real – and would always say what your were already thinking!!!

•  “I wish I had a twin, so I could know what I’d look like without plastic surgery.”

•  “I hate housework. You make the beds, you do the dishes, and six months later, you have to start all over again.”

• “I was born in 1962 … and the room next to me was 1963.”

•  “I have no sex appeal. If my husband didn’t toss and turn, we’d never have had the kid.”

•  “I’ve had so much plastic surgery, when I die, they will donate my body to Tupperware.”

•  “A study says owning a dog makes you 10 years younger. My first thought was to rescue two more, but I don’t want to go through menopause again.”

•  “Half of all marriages end in divorce – and then there are the really unhappy ones.”

•  “My breasts are so low, now I can have a mammogram and a pedicure at the same time.”

•  “Don’t tell your kids you had an easy birth or they won’t respect you. For years I used to wake up my daughter and say, ‘Melissa, you ripped me to shreds. Now go back to sleep.”

•  “I was dating a transvestite, and my mother said, “Marry him, you’ll double your wardrobe.'”

•  “At my funeral, I want Meryl Streep crying in five different accents.”

We will miss her dearly…
and no matter what people say, she looked pretty darn good for eighty-one!!!
She should. She paid enough for it.

For those who need a little more Joan…
check out the documentary about her life & comedy “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.”
It’s a wonderful look into her world, her dedication to her craft and so much more.

With “Art In The Garden” just about a month away, Cory McCrory and I are busy working on a few “Limited Edition” collaboration pieces. Here’s a quick insight (and a few hints) into our visual inspiration… courtesy of Mother Nature!

It never gets old.
I still love watching other potters making their work. Whether throwing, trimming, stamping, carving, decorating. or whatever. Always beautiful. Always mesmerizing. Always a great creative inspiration for all of us. And these Icheon Master Hands from Korea are pretty darn incredible! Each one showing their techniques… and making it “look” so easy!!! Although we all know it’s NOT!!!

For a compilation video of five great Icheon Master Hands from Korea, click here.
If you want to see more… continue on. You’ll be glad you did.

For more video of Master Hand Choi In-Gyu… click here.

For more video of Master Hand Yo Se-Yeon… click here.

For more video of Master Hand Lee Hyang-Gu… click here.

For more video of Master Hand Kim Seong-Tae… click here.

For more video of Master Hand You Yong-Chul… click here.

Some great inspiration for all of us.
I especially loved the work by Kim Seong-Tae. The carving is pretty impressive, and I was pleasently surprised with the big reveal of the layered colored slips as he carved through to add colorful details to the remaining parts of the pots. So beautiful. So delicate. So inspiring.

You know how I love to hear from my blog & Facebook followers. It’s a nice affirmation that someone out there is actually reading my endless ramblings and enjoying my photos. Sometimes you wonder if “anyone” out there is even listening. And then you get a sweet e-mail like this one. And once again, everything is good in the world. Thank you Sonya for sharing a picture from your Special Needs Class. I’m glad I could be an inspiration… your birdhouses look fantastic!!!

Hi Gary,

You sound so enthusiastic and generous in your blog! You also seem to genuinely want to hear from folks that benefit from it. So, I am sending you a picture of some Gary Jackson inspired birdhouses that were made by my special needs adult class. They are super excited about these and can’t wait to get them glazed! One student plans to give her birdhouse to a friend as a bereavement gift (her friend lost her mother recently).

Cheers from Kentucky,
S. Penn

And for those of you who might need a quick refresher, here’s a couple shots of my terra cotta birdhouses from a couple years back. Sadly, I don’t have any currently in my inventory, but this may be a great reminder to make more!!!