While my bisque kiln was cooling today, I decided to head off… into the woods.
So I drove out of the city, with my friend Nancy, and up to Rock Cut State Park in
Rockford, Illinois. As a kid, I spent many a summer weekend camping there with my family.
Now it’s just a great escape from the hectic city – and today was wonderful opportunity to get
away and enjoy the adventure. It felt like a mini-vacation as we hiked around the lake… twice!
The weather was great and spring was popping out everywhere you looked. I love the colors,
the textures and the small surprises throughout the forest. The tiniest of wildflowers.
The vividness of the duckweed. The sprouts of the mosses. The smallest of nature’s details.

And my personal favorite… and old, grown-over sign & fence. Keep off what?… the lake?!!!

Natural inspiration?
Here’s a little know botanical fact and a good “word for the day”… espalier.
That’s the term for when trees are pruned & “trained” to grow along walls
in groovy geometric shapes like these at the Botanic Garden entrance.
Which kind of reminded me of my tile installation on my back porch?!!!

It’s a simple installation of glazed tiles on what used to be a plain, boarded up & painted black
piece of plywood from days gone by, when we assume there used to be a window there?!
Each tile has a hole at the top corner and then hung on a nail. It’s really fun when you run
your hands along the tiles and they all swing a bit.

So last night I watched Kristen Kieffer’s new DVD about surface decoration.
Chapter One dealt with stamping… which you know I love. But one of her techniques
includes stamping that “bulges” and alters the shape a bit more than I’m used to.
And since I had some “plain” bowls waiting for some stamping… I thought I’d give it a try.
I like the result… however, I really want to make a few new stamps to go a little further
and “explore” the possibilities a little more! Thank you Kristen for the inspiration…

While I was working in the studio tonight, I was also watching Kristen Kieffer’s
new DVD about surface decoration. It’s a very informative DVD with twelve chapters
on twelve different techniques. Chapter One was of course my favorite… all about stamps!!!
All in all, here techniques are very informative and encouraging for all skill levels. I really
liked how her presentation style was very calming & professional. She demonstrates each
of the twelve different techniques – making them each look relatively simple and accessible
for everyone. From stamping to slip trailing, from sgraffito to mishima, from banding to
her own slip technique she refers to as “Dairy Queen.” Something for everybody!
Of course the key is making it “your own” instead of just trying to reproduce her work!

Next up?… I need to make some new stamps! Her method of stamp-making is different
from mine. And I’m looking forward to creating a few new ones with her technique to see
how it goes. Her personal pottery “design aesthetic” seems to be much like my own…
precise, repetitive, patterned, textured. Sound familiar?

So here’s the deal… if you like her style, or if you’re just looking to learn some new surface
decoration techniques – this is the DVD for you!!! Check it out and order your own copy.
Go to www.FilmBaby.com and get your own Kristen Kieffer DVD today!

Just when you thought every artistic medium had been explored, images like these
come along. Artist Baptiste Debombourg created this portrait with staples. I’ve always
loved how a “few” of something can be cool, but a “LOT” of something is amazing!!!
Less is more?… not in MY book.

And what if the staples weren’t used as they were intended?!
Have you ever noticed how sculptural a line of staples looks? Peter Root has.
Here’s his creation called “low-rise.” Built on a glass table-top, it’s especially amazing
when photographed from the side with a great depth-of-field exposure!

Well, here it is, finally… ceramic artist Kristen Kieffer has created her very first
instructional DVD showcasing her incredible surface decoration techniques.
I’ve been a fan of her intricate work for a long time, and just purchased my DVD
this morning. I can’t wait to get it…

To purchase your own copy, go to FilmBaby.com and search for Kristen Kieffer.
Or just click here!

Snow-covered cars… a brief warm-up… a “roll” of snow sliding down a windshield.
Beautiful. Unexpected. And sadly, not going to last very long with today’s temps!

Notice the icicles “sprouting” out along the top of the bike rack at a crazy wind-blown angle!!!