My day started with a bike ride along the lakefront. Much like many other mornings.
However, I had somehow forgotten once again that “other people” may want to use my bike path once in awhile. I mean, I get so accustomed to pretty much having the entire bike trail to myself, gladly sharing with a few joggers, pretty much every morning. Then all of a sudden, on a busy Saturday morning, there were THOUSANDS of people on MY bike trial. The nerve!!!

So while I was getting re-accustomed to “sharing” the bike trail, if I must, it was pretty nice to see the Avon Breast Cancer Walk  using the path. So many people out walking for a great cause. And it was great fun to see one of my former bosses Bob Smusz, the “Good Bob”, doing the walk with his sister. Very touching, as she had just had a round of chemotherapy days earlier… and was out there walking with the rest of them like a trooper!

I finally made it down to Navy Pier where I met up with my friend Nancy. We met MANY years ago biking and have been friends ever since. She’s even the one who got me started taking pottery classes at Lillstreet. So it’s all her fault… Anyways, our plan was to pedal down to Hyde Park to visit the 57th Street Art Fair. So we head out South into the wind…

Once we were there, it was so much fun to walk around with Nancy, looking at a lot of great art and seeing a lot of “My Talented Friends.” So if you’re going to the 57th Street Art Fair tomorrow, be sure to stop by and say “hi” for me!

Sarah Chapman – my favorite metalsmith mostly using oxidized sterling silver

Karen Patinkin – decoratively glazed porcelain pottery

Roberta Polfus – the sweetest carved porcelain vessels, miniatures & pods

Delores Fortuna – functional stoneware pottery

Judy Zeddes – printmaking

Amy Taylor – groovy “hinged” jewelry

Glynnis Lessing – sgraffito porcelain pottery

Glenn Woods – one of “The Pottery Boys” with beautiful crystalline glazes

Mary Dye – functional soda-fired pottery

Teresa DeVer – gold & silver chain maille jewelry

I would also highly recommend the pulled pork sandwich… but I digress…

It was also fun to finally meet Mark Williams. He’s a potter up in Michigan who makes great textured pots. I’ve enjoyed them for years… perfect geometric pattern repetition… what’s not to like?! Anyway, the story goes like this… One of my students was up in the South Haven area of Michigan and stopped by a few pottery places. She came back and told me all about two of them. One of which was Mark Williams of Blue Star Pottery. Lori was impressed by his textures & patterns, and she knew I would like it as well. And she was right. So it was kind of ironic, and a great surprise, to finally meet him at the 57th Street Art Fair.

Also, while you’re there, if you have time you should also swing by the Community Arts Festival adjacent to the 57th Street Art Fair. Not quite the same caliber, some a little quirky, but some really fun stuff to see. If you go through that “Community” part, be sure to say “hi” to more of my friends…

Marian Casto-Palanyk – carved porcelain pottery
Melissa Banks – chain maille jewelry
Mary Zehnder – sculpture with a Southwestern flair!

Just one week from today… THE FUN BEGINS!!!

And by all means, you need to go up to Minnesota for the big Pottery Tour!!!
It’s all of the “big names”you’ve loved for years. Fifty incredible potters all within an easy driving distance. I will be going up for the Pottery Tour this year with my “best art fair assistants ever!!!”… yes, my parents are coming with me for a weekend full of incredible pottery! We’ll be doing a little shopping, a little driving, a little gathering of inspiration and a lot of chatting with the artists.

For more information, maps & details about the potters, click here for MinnesotaPotters.com.

After I posted yesterday’s photos of the “frozen fissures” in Lake Michigan,
I received a link to this incredible YouTube video. Apparently, the oldest son
of “My Talented Friend” jeweler Amy Taylor lives in Antarctica and filmed this great
time-lapse video. Kinda makes my “frozen fissures” photos a bit anti-climactic?!
Here’s one of my photos…

And here’s the link to the time-lapse video, and some screen captures as a little teaser.
Some frozen fissures on a much grander scale.  Antarctica versus Lake Michigan?!
Click here to see the video… “Ice and Clouds”

So imagine my surprise…
I was working at the “glitter gig” today and we went to the Bridgeport Art Center
to meet a client and do a little pre-site visit for an upcoming event. We were looking
around this really wonderful lofty event space. We happened to pass the washrooms
and I saw these wonderful art installations on the entrance walls. It looked familiar.
And you know how I love grids… multiples of items… and geometric repetition!

Well, these 50 pieces are basically square plates, with square “legs” on both sides.
I believe they were stacked on each other during the firing. And curved so that the
beautiful glassy-glaze build-up can pool in the center of each plate. Stunning.

We continued walking around the event space, and then I ducked through a side door.
Suddenly I was in a small art gallery. And there were more really cool art pieces on the
walls. And then I realized… these were all made by a friend of mine Jay Strommen.

I had run into him last at SOFA Chicago back in November. We were talking and catching
up with stories about people we know from his time teaching at Lillstreet. We then got on
the topic of his current artworks. Let me just say, Jay is very much an “artist.” He lives
the part… and makes me feel so much like a “craftsman” not an artist. A lot of the “art-speak”
he gives goes right over my head. But it’s fun to hear him talking about what he’s doing…
so passionate, so eloquent, so engaging… and still quite funny!

So he then proceeds to tell us that his new work is basically “deconstructing” the entire
ceramic process. Without going into all of the details I don’t quite understand, he’s basically
putting a bunch of clay chemicals, glaze chemicals & other components on a “kiln shelf”
and then melting it all together in a high-fire wood kiln. Of course there’s some very erudite
thoughts behind it, some artistic jargon, some special blah-blah-blah… and I was scared.
Then he tells us that he’s showing at SOFA and that we should go see his work. I was kinda
concerned after all the hype that it was going to be more than a bit crazy. Imagine my
surprise when we got to the booth and his pieces were there hanging on the wall.
And they were incredibly cool!!!

Long story short…
Jay Strommen currently has an exhibit going in the Bridgeport Art Center Gallery.
And since I know that so many of you won’t wander through that same side door I did
today, I thought I would share some pictures of his show!

Now obviously these aren’t all “kiln shelves” that he’s firing onto. They’re actually slabs
of clay that he’s building. But I’m pretty sure that the basic “deconstructed” ceramics
process fired on a kiln shelf principle is still at work here!

And yes, that’s a cone melted onto the surface there… the white hook shaped thing!

If you’re in the Chicago area, be sure to stop by the Bridgeport Art Center to see Jay’s
show. You can also check out Jay’s beautiful website for some images, videos and a lot
of Jayzo’s art speak! Click here to go to Jay’s website… www.JayStrommen.com

I stopped by Lillstreet Art Center this evening to drop-off a few things, pick-up a few things,
chat with a few friends, water my studio plants… and see what I’ve been missing as I’ve been
too busy to get much done in the studio lately. Too busy with holiday projects & preparations.
But never too busy to get a wonderful porcelain present from Terry Hogan.

Another wonderfully precise, pierced & patterned porcelain beauty to add to my collection!

Merry Christmas to me… and thank you again Terry!!!

Here’s a little more of a “sneak peek” at Amy Taylor’s wonderful work.
Keep in mind that practically everything has a hinge in it to give an extra swivel.
Even better – she’s coming to my home this Saturday with all of her lovelies this
Saturday, December 8th for “Mud & Metal : A Collaborative Holiday Show.”

So plan on stopping by my place this Saturday from 10:00am-6:00pm to stock up,
do a little Christmas shopping, hang out, and tackle that holiday gift list! We’ve got
a lot of wonderful gift ideas in every room of my home. C’mon by this Saturday!

While at the McGraw YMCA tonight hanging out with my friends, I did have to do
a little shopping from “My Talented Friend” Cory McCrory. Her textures, her colors and
her wacky sense of whimsy has always amused me. So when I saw this wonderful cup &
saucer – I knew I had to have it. Sure, it will fit right into my mug collection. But this is
the first one that comes with an actual arm as the stirring stick. Which comes in “handy”
when there’s “no poison” to be had!

But the REAL clincher is when you pick up the cup and find that the bottom is a point?!
So there’s no way to set it down anywhere except for the cloud-lined saucer that fits the point.
Too funny. Too clever. I love it.

And while I was there…
I also “had to” add another one of Cory’s handmade ornaments to my collection!

On my way to the Lillstreet Holiday Opening Party tonight, I made a quick stop-off
at the Ceramics Showcase in Evanston. While I “should have” been at Lillstreet getting
ready in my studio… instead I was hanging out with my friends and doing a little shopping!

While I am not part of this collection of potters, three of “My Talented Friends” are.
So I stopped by early to see if I could help anyone set up, and they were pretty much all done.
So I got to stand around and chat… and shop! But here they are from left to right…
Cory McCrory, Roberta Polfus & Delores Fortuna.

So if you’ve got time this weekend for some great ceramic work, be sure to stop by
the Evanston McGraw YMCA and say hello to Cory, Roberta & Delores for me!!!

I went to the Steppenwolf Theater tonight with two high school friends to see our friend
Ora Jones starring in “Three Sisters.” Not only is she starring in the show…
and on the cover of the playbill… but her mug is also on the banners along Halsted Street!!!

The play is an adaptation of the Anton Chekov classic. So there’s a lot of talking,
and not a whole lot happening… at least as far as I could figure it out…

And no, she doesn’t always look this sad & downtrodden… but the make-up artist did
a great job. I’m sure she just loves seeing herself like this every time she comes to work!!!

Welcome to Chadwick’s World!
And what a crazy little world it is… all inside Martin’s head!                         And I love it!!!

So tonight was a beautiful opening reception for Martin Chadwick.  An amazingly
talented friend of mine who has work showing in Chicago for the next two months!
In the front lobby of The Belmont – located at 3170 North Sheridan at Belmont, Chicago.
If you have a chance to go, it’s on the southwest corner of Belmont & Sheridan. I went with
my friend Pam JH who knows Martin, but had never seen his work other than on his
website. It was fun to see the awe & amazement in her eyes as she saw them in person!

I met Martin several years ago when he started taking my pottery class with his wife Christi.
You could tell right away that he had more talents than he was showing on the wheel. After
getting to know him better, I found out that he was working as an architectural  model maker.
Then, I found out he was also an incredible painter – a hidden talent. So I posted it here on
my blog awhile back. But after tonight’s art showing, I knew I had to show him off again!
So welcome to Chadwick’s World… fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride…

The next pen & ink drawing was Pam’s favorite in the show…

His pen & ink drawings are incredible. Such detail, such depth, all done with a fine
tip ink pen. When you see the detail, it’s hard to image how fine that pen stylus must be?!
Crazy when you see the textures, the details and the shading! Closeups from above…

And then you switch to his paintings… just stunning!!!
This first one was in his living room when I first found out that he was a painter. It was
partially done, siting on an easel, with paints & palettes all around. So great to see it all
done now and hanging on a gallery wall. Love the colors. The details. The whimsy.
Seriously… you really need to see them in person to really get close!

This next one is his ode to America… as seen through his English eyes!
Combining “all things American” into his American homage.

Then we move on to Lewis Carroll’s house. A beautiful British home… possibly where he
wrote the classic “Alice In Wonderland.” And you can see why… we have Alice entering
through the gate, with chess piece topiaries, flamingoes on the sidewalk, and a brick wall
morphing into a rolling script of text. Below you see other Alice references… the Mad Hatter,
the Cheshire Cat, the Queen of Hearts and so much more. The longer you stand there and
look at it, the more you’ll see. His paintings literally draw you into the crazy world he’s
creating on the canvas!

This one is his newest piece… and my personal favorite!!!
I love the simplicity. The balance. The colors. And somehow it took me right back
to third grade when we sat there in school watching the classic “The Red Balloon.”
A favorite short film by Albert Lamorisse about a small school boy who befriends
a red balloon and their touching adventures that follow. Very touching. Still a favorite.
And somehow this painting took me right back.

For more about Martin Chadwick… and a free ticket into Chadwick’s World….
click on his website in my LINKS section to the right.

Plus, click here for more about my favorite 3rd Grade movie – “The Red Balloon.”