It’s Day Two of the GLENVIEW SUMMER ART FAIR!!! We had a little drizzly rain pass through earlier this morning. So now we’re hoping it’s just dry & cloudy for the rest of the show. C’mon out to Glenview to say hello… I’m in Booth 31 until 5:00pm!

A beautiful morning start for Day Two of the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR. We started with homemade scones & quiches… and then moved on to the task at hand. Chatting & selling pottery! Swipe through for a quick tour of pottery by the seven ceramic artists at the Sandwich stop… Cory, Jessica, Laura, Natalie, Tanvvi, Andryea & me!!!

Our talented host CORY McCRORY
“Cory grew up at the foot of a sewing machine. Everyday she would watch her mother break down design ideas into pattern pieces that fit together into 3d creations. Cory embraces this method of creation to hand build her functional and playful ceramics.“

JESSICA DOUGHERTY
“Jessica Dougherty creates functional and decorative pottery inspired by the beauty of botanicals. Her forms and surfaces reflect nature’s textures and movement, blending artistry with everyday use. Each piece invites connection—to nature, to the handmade, and to the quiet moments in daily rituals.”

LAURA WILLIAMS
“Laura Williams (they/she) is a Chicago based ceramic artist and educator whose work centers material, process, narrative, and play. Laura makes their work in their home studio in Humboldt Park and teaches ceramics locally at Made Chicago, The Digs, and Lillstreet Art Center.”

NATALIE STEINMETZ
“Natalie has been working with clay for over 35 years making both functional and sculptural work. Her most recent monster series represents the journey through trauma and grief to hope and healing. Natalie’s work captures both struggle and celebration – and her unique perspective resonates with collectors nationwide who find it featured in galleries and exhibitions.”

TANVVI AGARRWAL
“Tanvvi meticulously crafts each pot with a commitment to beauty, functionality, and longevity. She believes in creating pottery that not only captivates the eye but also stands the test of time, meant to be cherished and used for years to come. With every firing, Tanvvi strives to capture the vivid colors, dynamic ash patterns, and individuality that make each piece truly one-of-a-kind.”

ANDRYEA NATKIN
“Andryea aspires to illustrate the intersection between the conscious and unconscious. She produces hand built organic forms where nothing is perfect. Each piece possesses a life and personality of its own. Surfaces are embellished with her visual vocabulary with a limited palette. An aesthetic meditation emerges; giving the viewer permission to connect to something deep within themselves.”

And me!!!
GARY JACKSON
“For Gary, working in clay is very satisfying and helps bring out his inner child – like making mud pies with a purpose. As his craftsmanship has improved and his personal style became more apparent, he was drawn to his tactile nature and his interest in natural repetition & textural patterns.”

And with that… the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR is officially open!!!
C’mon by today & tomorrow from 10:00am-5:00pm!
I’m at the Sandwich location stop #5.

This weekend is the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR. A great chance for a fun roadtrip to see 40 potters at six different studio locations. I will be at Stop #5 in Sandwich… along with rest of these great potters!!! Special thanks to my pal Cory McCrory for hosting all of us at her place!!!

And we’re just a couple days away from the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR! Make sure you’ve marked your calendar, rallied your pottery buddies & stocked-up on some roadtrip snacks!!! Make a full day of it visiting all six stops with 34 potters along the way! I will once again be at the Sandwich location… Stop #5. C’mon by…

For more information… www.northernilpotterytour.com

It’s almost here!!! The NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR is this coming weekend!!! I will once again be a Guest Potter at the Sandwich location… home studio of my buddy Cory McCrory. So mark your calendar… grab your pottery-loving friends, rent a party bus, do whatever you gotta do!!! There’s going to be a lot of beautiful pottery to see this weekend. ROAD TRIP!!!

For more information…. www.northernilpotterytour.com

Back to the ST. CROIX VALLEY POTTERY TOUR…
and some of the beautiful pots that came home with me!!!

Like this sgraffito cup by Matthew Metz. I especially love the addition of the textured walls under the slip color & under the sgraffito carving. And yes, this is black clay with a colored slip dip… and the carved through to reveal the black line illustrations! Just amazing as always… and another beauty to add to my Matt Metz collection!

It was quite a weekend at the ST. CROIX VALLEY POTTERY TOUR. Such beautiful weather to be outside enjoying the Tour, driving from pottery studio to studio. Chatting with the potters, admiring their work & making the tough choices of which pieces might come home with you as souvenirs!!! It was great to run into a few friends & Followers along the way… including catching up with my favorite pottery teacher at Lillstreet so many years ago!!! Not to be a name-dropper… but it was Steve Lee!!!

If you’ve never gone to this pottery tour, you really must add it to your bucket list. It’s hard to fathom how huge this is… with so many tents, so many talented potters… and an endless array of fantastic pottery!!! These photos just show a tiny bit of it… but hopefully you get the idea!

For more information – www.minnesotapotters.com

While on THE CLAY COLLECTIVE Pottery Tour last Sunday… I had a chance to chat with my pottery-buddy Kenyon Hansen… always fun, always informative. One of the Guest Artists at the Cambridge Pottery stop. And I just “may have” come home with a new set of plates!!! Allegedly…

Last Sunday, we had perfect weather for a little roadtrip… and a day full of fantastic pottery shopping with my friend Kristen. We drove up to the THE CLAY COLLECTIVE Pottery Tour in southeastern Wisconsin. As with any pottery tour, it’s always so much fun to see a ton of beautiful pots, meet the artists, chat it up, buy some pots & see the different studio & kiln locations. These pictures are from Mark Skudlarek’s studio… with one of the largest kilns I’ve ever seen!!! Three chambers for wood firing. The first chamber is for straight wood fired work, the middle chamber is for glazed pieces & the third chamber for a salt/soda firing. All connected, all firing at the same time!!! Crazy cool. And that was just one of several fun pottery stops!!!