Just a quick reminder that my Mom makes some pretty great aprons!
They’re heavy-duty and made just for your favorite potter…. even if that’s YOU!!!

Here are some quick details about the specialized pottery aprons:
* Durable & washable heavy broadcloth fabric
* Fabric colors & patterns change as the inventory sells out.
* Lower section splits into two panels to cover each leg as you sit at the wheel
* Patch pockets on the back of each hip
* Straps actually go over the shoulders to avoid neck strain & fatigue
* Three buttons for height adjustments
* Three buttons for width adjustments
* One size fits all….for the most part.

Click here for more information & current apron inventory.

I know it’s been awhile, and I’m glad she’s a patient girl…
But I “finally” got around to glazing the cute little pots my niece Taylor made during her latest visit to my studio. She finally got to work on the wheel and make a couple pots of her own. My Dad got to make a couple as well… and the center blue bowl was my demo. But here are the results :Taylor’s finished pots… finally… and her well-made & thought-out instruction sheet of what colors she wanted for each.

Here are some quick details about the specialized pottery aprons:
* Durable & washable heavy broadcloth fabric
* Lower section splits into two panels to cover each leg as you sit at the wheel
* Patch pockets on the back of each hip
* Straps actually go over the shoulders to avoid neck strain & fatigue
* Three buttons for height adjustments
* Three buttons for width adjustments
* One size fits all….for the most part

Listed below is the current pottery apron inventory.
If you are interested in purchasing an apron please send me a quick e-mail
to “secure” your choice… gary@firewhenreadpottery.com

They are $50 each which includes shipping & handling in the contiguous United States.
They are first come, first serve! Don’t miss out.

APRON C – GIDGET JEWEL
Navy blue with a small pattern of green, red & light blue across the apron.
SOLD to Zoe in California.

APRON G – NORWALK GRAPHIC
A mind bending pattern of black and white.
SOLD to Cyndi in Grand Haven, Michigan.

APRON H – MUSIC EBONY
A retro-vibe with a musical flair.

APRON J – GEO GREEN
Green background with geometric pattern and multicolor striped accents.

APRON K – STRIPED NAVY AND GREEN
Striped navy and green with contrasting bib and pockets.

APRON L – DIMONA SANGRIA
Waves of rust and gold with a touch of brown.

APRON M – DARIO PANORAMA CYPRUS
Green, yellow and light blue fireworks on a deep blue background.

APRON N – SEEING SPOTS COCOA
The name says it all!

Again, just let me know if you would like to purchase an apron.
Send me a quick e-mail to “claim” your apron… gary@firewhenreadypottery.com
First come, first served!!! Grab’em while you can!!!

My Mom would be thrilled to  sell some more of these custom pottery aprons…
which then means she can make some more!

So I’ve posted about my Mom’s handmade pottery aprons before…
but then I must admit that I got distracted, overwhelmed & slid right into holiday frenzy mode! I know some people expressed interest in them then… so I’m posting them again! This time I am not so busy… I promise to follow through this time!!!

It was a bit reassuring to see that there weren’t really any good pottery aprons at the NCECA Expo. Not that we’ve “invented’ the apron or anything… but I do think we’ve designed a pretty sweet apron. It “works” in all the right places! Many of the potters at Lillstreet are already rockin’ a durable “Mom original” apron.

Here are some quick details about the aprons…
*  durable & washable heavy broadcloth fabric
*  lower section splits into two panels to cover each leg as you sit at the wheel.
*  patch pockets on the back of each hip.
*  straps actually go over the shoulders to avoid neck strain & fatigue.
*  three buttoned height adjustments.
*  three buttoned width adjustments.
*  “one size fits all”… for the most part.

Here is my friend & potter Greg Schultz throwing a large pot on the wheel…
and keeping his clothing clean all at the same time!

The following shows the current apron inventory. I have them for sale in my studio at Lillstreet. If you are interested in purchasing an apron – please send me a quick e-mail to “secure” your choice. They’re $50 each which includes shipping & handling (within the contiguous US States)… and they’re first come, first serve! Don’t miss out.

APRON A –
From the “Eclectic Collection”, a patchwork mix of gold-brown-earthtone
geometric patterns & textures. SOLD to Pam in Wisconsin!

APRON B –
From the “Eclectic Collection”, a striped patchwork with assorted pattern accents.
SOLD to Nikki in Illinois!

APRON C –
Navy blue with a small pattern of green, red & light blue across the apron.

APRON D –
A blue “denim” background with some printed patterns in yellows, reds & greens.
SOLD to Verna in Montana.

APRON E –
A cool mint green apron with whimsical butterflies flying across the apron.
SOLD to Fiona in Indiana.

APRON G –
A mind-bending pattern of black & white.

APRON H –
A retro-vibe with a musical flair!

Again, just let me know if you would like to purchase an apron.
Send me a quick e-mail to “claim” your apron. My Mom would be thrilled
to sell some more of them… which then means she can make some more!

My parents have been keeping a secret from me.
So have my friends metalsmith Sarah Chapman & photographer Brad Pogatetz.
I’ve saw them both at the “One Of A Kind Show” and neither of them said anything.
I even asked my parents directly if they had bought anything at “One Of A Kind.”
I got a very non-committal & evasive answer… which should have been a clue!

When I got to my parents house late on Christmas Eve, I was ready to hit the bed. It had already been a long day, and a late night celebrating Christmas Eve with my parents & family friends. Not to mention the head cold I’ve been battling for a few days. I was done. Ready for bed. But my parents had another plan… and something they wanted me to see. Apparently, they had done “a little shopping” while they were at “One Of A Kind” and everyone was keeping the secret from me! Until now…

Yes, my parents have purchased an incredible photograph by Brad Pogatetz… one of “My Talented Friends.” There it is hanging… or “floating”… on their wall, in a white “art alcove” area on one of their walls. They even painted the surrounding wall in a beautiful brown color JUST for the photo!!!

We met Brad several years ago when he was my booth neighbor at “Art In The Barn.” I’ve loved his photography ever since. Two years ago, my parents surprised my with one of Brad’s photographs for a Christmas present. Imagine my surprise when I saw this huge, beautiful piece hanging in their house… a wonderful Christmas present for themselves!!!

Brad’s photographs are quite beautiful. The subject matter may be of deteriorating spaces and places long forgotten, but the composition and clarity if incredible. Every little detail is captured, drawing you right into the space. You can practically reach out and touch the paint peeling from the walls, scratch across the rusty metal, or splash in the stagnant pools of water. His printing process is brilliant, and many of the surfaces are gleaming & metallic. The rusty metal looks oh, so rusty. And you know I LOVE RUST!!! But one of the coolest things is how the photo seems to “move” as you look at it from side to side… as you can see from the photo below where I took it from an angle.

To see more photography by Brad Pogatetz, click here or the link in the right column.

And for the record… I call dibs!!!
Whenever my parents decide to “bequeath” anything – I GET THIS ONE!!!

For several years it was so hard to find a good apron to keep the clay off my clothes while I was throwing. So my Mom and I sat down and designed a new apron that would do what I wanted it to do. First off, the lower section splits into two panels to cover each leg as you sit down at the wheel. There are patch pockets on the back of each hip to keep your phone safe & clean. The straps actually go over the shoulders, instead of around the neck, to avoid neck strain & fatigue. There are three different buttoned height adjustments, as well as three buttoned width adjustments. So the aprons are “one size fits all”… for the most part. My Mom started making them for me, and then we sold a few to my friends. Over the years, she has made quite a small little “business” for herself making these pottery aprons!

Here is my friend & potter Greg Schultz throwing a large pot on the wheel…
and keeping his clothing clean all at the same time!

So there are a few currently in the apron inventory. I have them for sale in my studio at Lillstreet, and they will be making an appearance at my Holiday Home Show next weekend.

APRON A – From the “Eclectic Collection”, a patchwork mix of earthtone patterns & textures.

APRON B – From the “Eclectic Collection”, a striped patchwork with assorted pattern accents.

APRON C – Navy blue with a small pattern of green, red & light blue across the apron.

APRON D – A blue “denim” background with some printed patterns in yellows, reds & greens.

APRON E – A cool mint green apron with whimsical butterflies flying across the apron.

APRON F – A clean, geometric stripe with red, oranges & yellows.
SOLD : to one of my former students & now Lillstreet Monitor Chuck!

APRON G – A mind-bending pattern of black & white.

APRON H – A retro-vibe with a musical flair!

APRON I – I’m seeing spots before my eyes… bright pops of color on a blue background.
SOLD : to my friend & potter Emily Murphy up in Minneapolis!

My birthday celebration continued tonight… dinner with my parents at my favorite restaurant. Rose Angeli’s. Yummy as always. It’s okay to carbo-load a couple days AFTER the marathon, right?!

It’s early morning and the clouds are still rolling through. But we’re still setting up my art fair booth & hoping for the best. The tent is anchored down and my “assistant” is starting to put the pots out on my shelving. She also “doubles” as my Mom… not only a great help, but she also makes great cookies! There’s a tin of chocolate chip cookies around here somewhere???

I spent the day today in my basement storage room getting ready for this weekend’s art fair.
A lot of people don’t quite understand all of the work that goes on “behind-the-scenes.”
It’s not just the “fun” of making pots. There’s a LOT of work that goes on throughout the year
to keep the business running. Today it was “processing” all of the pieces that have come out
of my recent kilns. A lot of prepping, pricing & packing… and a LOT of pottery!!!

The good news… that after a VERY long day with the help of my best art fair assistants ever,
we got everything packed up and ready for the weekend. In fact, everything is already packed
in my parent’s van as well. We have a Friday afternoon set-up for the Barrington show. And it
will be extra nice to not be packing the van in the morning AND setting up in the afternoon.
I feel like we have a little head-start on it all this time!

So my niece Taylor has one week of “freedom” left before she goes back to school.
Her mom has already started teaching so she’s spending some “quality time” with her
Grandparents… my Mom & Dad. So we decided to take her on a little adventure to
Six Flags Great America. Fully knowing that it was going to be a LONG day…
especially for Grandma & Grandpa as they get dragged around the park and
“cutely cajoled” into going on many of the rides!

We started the morning with an easy one… the landmark double-decker carrousel.

From the top level of the carrousel, Taylor spotted Daffy Duck & Scooby-Doo,
so when the ride stopped, we had to run over to meet them for a little photo-op!

So we all went on the Whizzer… a gentle little roller coaster to gauge Taylor’s readiness
to tackle the bigger rides. She did wonderful… my Mom, not so much. She was done with
the roller coasters! Taylor, on the other hand, was ready to tackle the American Eagle –
the iconic wooden roller coaster with the huge vertical drop!

Here we go… up the first big hill…

And then the big plummet… squealing like a little school girl the whole way… adorable!!!

She loved the first big plummeting drop… but then she saw the big curve coming up…
and then rickety bouncing that she wasn’t so thrilled about.

So the held on for dear life… as Grandpa watched from the seat behind.

Whew… she made it. Thrilled… and more than a little exhausted…

After her whirlwind ride on the American Eagle, Taylor chose a few “slower” rides which
Grandma was okay with too. Even though there was no plummeting drop, the rides did spin,
fling & whip around in circles pretty darn fast!

Of course, a trip to Six Flags Great America wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory
stuffed animal win at the game arcade. In fact, Taylor won this one for herself…
use the hammer, hit the target, ring the bell, win a prize! Luckily, we found one that said
“play until you win.” And she did…