Back in the studio… replenishing he inventory… making more mugs!!!
After the pieces are thrown on the wheel, I allow them to dry partially so that they are
malleable, but not squishy. Once they are at the proper stiffness, I stamp the patterns
into the sides with my handmade stamps. After stamping, the bottoms of the pots
need to be finished to give them a more professional look.

I place the pieces back onto the wheel upside down and re-center them.
They are affixed to the wheel surface and then spun really fast. With a sharp trimming
tool, the clay is cut off the sides and bottom into thin ribbons of clay.

As the cylinder spins, and the ribbons of clay removed, you can finish off the bottom,
the sides and create a nice footring. The footring is the circle of clay that is left on
the bottom for your pot to stand on. This is your last chance to “finish off” the pot
before you let it begin to dry. Once dried… it’s off to the bisque kiln firing.

Tonight I opened up my soda kiln to finally see the treasures inside.
After a night of unbricking, unloading, grinding shelves, kiln washing shelves,
sweeping, mopping, packing, boxing, shlepping, and moving all of the work home…
it is now time to admire and start prepping everything for this weekend’s art fair!

Look what I just found on the Internet… groovy fun with bricks!!!

It’s all in how you stack them… sequence… rhythm… pattern… movement.

This brick screening wall flanks the South Asian Human Rights Documentation Centre
in Dehli, India. It’s strangely reminiscent of the wall in Harry Potter whose bricks
rotate in a complicated sequence and then magically open out onto Diagon Alley.
The bricks in this wall, too, almost seem to be in motion. Love it.

Another beautiful morning ride. After a couple days of clear skies,
it was kind of nice to have a little more “drama” in the sky this morning.

As the sun came up, the sky changed to orange for another beautiful sunrise.
Followed by a little drizzle for the ride back home! But still a beautiful way to start the day!

With an incredible bricolage mural already gracing the Bryn Mawr underpass
of Lake Shore Drive here in Chicago… it’s finally time for another one!
Rumor has it that the Alderman wants to do all of the underpasses along
Lake Shore Drive in her Ward. And I’m all for it!!!

So the new one is a work in progress… starting with a rough drawing on the wall
of the “basic” design & structure of the wall. Both sides of the street are being done
with different designs. One of the key properties of these bricolage projects
is the random assortment of tiles, shards and mirrors all creating the big design!
As well as special tile pieces made to commemorate different aspects & events
of the neighborhood. It will be fun to watch the bricolage project continue over
the next few weeks – ending with the final grouting to finish it all off.

This morning’s sunrise wasn’t too shabby either on our side of the lake…
I just wonder what was going on over in Michigan?!

Beyond the ever-present “clinking” of the slot machines… and the in-your-face
card “clickers” on the streets… Las Vegas has some incredible things to see.
It’s the details. It’s the colors. It’s the textures. It’s Vegas, Baby!!!

This morning’s sunrise was simply spectacular.

There’s no better way to start your day…
than playing along the lakefront, enjoying the quiet serenity of morning…
and watching the beauty of nature’s morning announcement greet the day!
It’s amazing what a difference five minutes can make!

So… for those of you who have been watching my work and paying attention
over the past couple years, you may have noticed that certain stamps get used
more often than others – with one or two in particular!

So I thought I’d share with you “my favorite stamp”!
Yep, it seems like this is the one that I turn to “when all else fails.”
There are literally hundreds of stamps in my arsenal – and yet a few favorites
keep surfacing… when I go to make my surface textures! Surprisingly…
it is also one of my first handmade stamps!

Tonight I stamped a couple serving bowls – all with that one stamp!!!
One stamp at a time… over… and over.. and over!