Okay, so here’s the explanation… and a great show in the Lillstreet Gallery Annex by my friend & metalsmith Kelly Novak. Her pieces are incredibly stark, sharp and surprisingly perfect for my week on the B&W Photo Challenge! Lots of metal, black leather and incredible shadows on the walls. And that’s why today I challenge her!!! “INTERVALS” by Kelly Novak through the end of the year.

This weekend I received a wonderful gift from one of my many Talented Friends!
Allison did a new illustration every day through the month of October… Ink-tober !
One of her masterpieces featured one of my stamped & soda-fired mugs upfront & centered. Huge thanks to Allison for my gift… and for sharing her art & talents with all of us!

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Here’s a few of the collaboration salt & pepper shakers sets that went home yesterday. It’s a “mix & match” your own perfect set collaboration. You get one Cory shaker, one Gary shaker and one tray by either me or Cory. A fun game to put together your “perfect” set… a little harder for some with far too many combination options! Remember, again today only at ART IN THE GARDEN. We have a lot of great shakers & combinations left to play with!!!

So Cory has added a thin layer of glaze on her pieces. Looks like her trays have been dipped… while she has a brilliant “trick” to keep the glaze out of the ole of her salt & pepper shakers!

Looks like Cory has been adding some color to her pieces too.
The underglaze might look a little muted now, but if you know Cory and her work…
you know they’re going to be a lot more vibrant later!

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It’s the Collaboration Countdown… and my partner in crime has been cranking out her pieces too!!! Stop by ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend to see the final results when Cory McCrory and I put everything together!

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ART IN THE GARDEN is right around the corner…
and some fun collaborations are in the works again this year!
My talented friend Cory McCrory and I are “spicing things up” and working on a new collaboration for the folks who come to the Garden!!! More to come…

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A few weeks back when I was in Minneapolis for the St. Croix River Pottery Tour, I finally got a chance to see Sarah Chapman’s new studio space. She’s in the same building as before where she was renting a small space within Quench Jewelry Arts. It was a great place, nice studio and easy access to teaching classes there. But when the opportunity presented itself to move to a larger space with Quench owner Sarah Sitarz, the two of them moved upstairs to a bigger & better space!!! The Quench studio & classroom stayed downstairs… it’s just the two Sarah’s that made the big move upstairs!

QUITE POSSIBLY THE COOLEST & CLEANEST STUDIO EVER!!!

A beautiful display of some of Sarah’s wall pieces… and look…
just a few “unlidded” jars that are part of our collaboration challenge.

Let me just say… I am SO JEALOUS of Sarah’s space.
Makes my dirty little cubicle of a space seem SO small.
Sarah’s studio is groovy cool, with exposed brick walls, great natural light, wood floors and incredible tools everywhere you look. If only I was a metalsmith… and knew how to use any of these tools… and this could be the BEST STUDIO EVER!!!

Until then, I’ll continue to love my own little space… with pegboard, shelves & tools everywhere you look. And a seemingly never-ending layer of clay & trimmings on the floor. Ahhhh… the life of a potter.

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So you know how I LOVE a good collaboration project. Imagine my excitement when my friend & fantastic metalsmith Sarah Chapman proposed we tackle another collaboration project. She had a plan in her head… and I was ready to take it on.

So the “theory” is that I would make some ceramic jars, and she would add some metal lids, finials, knobs or embellishments. I’ve made a few batches of jars – some with and some without lids. Some turned out great, some I think might be too small or have a gallery that is too small. I’ve passed all of my pieces onto Sarah, so now the proverbial ball is in her court.

And I can’t wait to see what she does with them!!!
Sure, a couple of them might look like finished lidded jars… but I anticipate that Sarah will work her mojo, deconstruct them, and make some collaboration magic happen!!!

This lidded jar has a couple holes pierced through the lid… giving Sarah some options to add a finial knob. Or maybe even split the jar in two… and make a metal top to go with the clay base, and a metal bottom to go with the clay lid?!

So now the jars are all in Sarah’s capable hands… sitting in her studio waiting to fulfill their collaboration destiny!!!

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Another day done at the “One Of A Kind Show” with my friend & master metalsmith Sarah Chapman. This is one of her sterling silver rings with embossed texture, oxidation and an amazing piece of turquoise.

And a beautiful necklace with beads & stones clustered in a sterling silver “boat.”

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