Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: mugs, process, production

Giving them a little time to stiffen up a bit before I start attaching them to my stamped mug cylinders. At least this way the curve of the handle is 90% established before I even start attaching them!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped

Handles attached… mugs assembled!!! Now just a little cleaning-up, a little smoothing… and then some drying, firing, glazing & firing again! Coming along… but still a lot of steps in the process!

Categories: mugs, process, production

Prepping to make some mug handles… a little reminiscent of Stonehenge… err, Clay Henge???

Categories: mugs, soda-fired, stamped

Looks like Diane has finally moved into her new place… lots of boxes & lots of paper… and unwrapping her pottery collection first thing!!! Perfect timing for another Mugshot Monday!

Categories: mugs, soda-fired

In a pile of textures & colors, it’s always great to see one of my mugs “out in the wild” playing well with others! Thanks Ellen for surrounding my mug with such love & creativity!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped

After a very successful ART IN THE BARN, it’s time to get back at it in the studio making more pots for the Holidays!!! It might sound far away… but my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW is always the weekend before Thanksgiving! And it will be here before you know it… so mark your calendars!!!

Categories: artists, mugs

You know we potters make mugs… but we also LOVE mugs! And I would say that “most” potters have a mug collection of their own… collecting mugs of friends, teachers & fellow potters from around the world! So it was great to see one of MY mugs “out in the wild”… playing in Marsha’s studio while she’s making mug handles. Kinda Meta… my mug in the studio while she’s making mugs in the studio on Mugshot Monday in Marsha’s studio!

Follow Marsha on Instagram – @marshasclayart

Categories: food, mugs, pottery

But oddly, Taylor wasn’t the only “surprise visitor” in my art fair booth last weekend. So… I stopped & bought some grocery store cookies on my way to the fair for a snack. But when Taylor showed up with HOMEMADE cookies… the store-bought ones went to the side. I set them in a crate that had a couple overstock mugs & my t-shirt inside… and promptly forgot all about them.

So imagine my surprise when I showed up Sunday morning to find some cookies scattered around my booth… and a broken hybrid mug from the now toppled-over crate! I’m guessing that I might have had a little raccoon friend visiting overnight. At least he didn’t find Taylor’s cookies!!!

And… I guess the up-side of broken pottery is you get to analyze your own pottery skills a bit. My wall thickness looks pretty thin & even! Not bad… especially for a “hybrid” wheelthrown & handbuilt combo mug!!!

Categories: art fair, mugs, pottery, soda-fired, surface decoration, textures

Fresh out of the soda kiln… and packing them up for this weekend’s ART IN THE BARN! I have a double booth again this year… so it’s twice the shelves & twice the pottery!!! I can’t wait to send some of these hybrid mugs off to new homes this weekend in Barrington!

Categories: classes, mugs

Pretty proud of my Beginners from class last night… when they tackled trimming & handles for their first mugs of the session! It’s only Week Two & they already have new mugs!!!