Last session, one of my Intermediate Wheel students came to the first class and “proclaimed” that his goal for the class was to make EIGHTY PIECES during the session!!! As a recent condo owner, Jack has plenty of room to fill. So some of the eighty were for personal use, some are gifts, but most were just for the practice & muscle-memory of making so many pots! At our final class, Jack pulled them all out for a little “show & tell”… and the Grand Total was 84!!! Congrats Jack… you succeeded & blew us all out of the water!!! A wonderful achievement!!!

The NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR is coming soon!
Mark your calendar & plan your pottery roadtrip.
With six studio locations & 43 potters… it’s gonna be a fun pottery weekend!!!

For full details… www.northernilpotterytour.com

Hard to believe that June is right around the corner, which also means the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR is just one week away!!! Mark your calendar!

I will once again be hanging out with my good friend Cory McCrory in Sandwich… along with a handful of other talented potters! C’mon out & say “Hi.” Visit all six locations and you’ll have a chance to see all 43 artists!!! A lot of fun & a LOT of pots!!!

Closing out my tour of pottery purchases… I also snagged one of these jars by Ernest Miller during the ST. CROIX VALLEY POTTERY TOUR. Ironically enough, the night before we were talking about my pottery tour “wish list”… and I said that I’ve always wanted one of these by Ernest, but they’re always sold out by the time we get to that stop. Lucky for me… it has now been checked-off the “wish” list!!!

One of my other “splurges” while at the ST . CROIX VALLEY POTTERY TOUR was a couple tiny additions to my ever-growing Becky Lloyd collection. She makes these incredibly intricate sgraffito pieces with such fine details & line work. Crazy cool designs… yet even more AMAZING at the tiny scale that she works in. Sweet additions to my collection! Thanks Becky!!!

And while I was at it… what’s one more Matt Metz piece for the collection?! I mean… how could I resist such an amazing sgraffito lidded box jar from him? I already have “a couple” other box jars… but none this small. Until now!!!

While at the ST. CROIX VALLEY POTTERY TOUR this weekend… I “may” have added a couple pottery pieces to my personal collection. Like this fantastic sgraffito bowl by Matt Metz. I don’t think I have ever seen him making larger serving bowls like this before… so it just “had to” come home with me!!!

What a wonderful weekend up in Minneapolis going to the ST. CROIX VALLEY POTTERY TOUR!!! We had amazing weather which only added to our amazing time! Hanging out with friends, seeing tons of beautiful pottery, chatting with some of my potter friends & “quite possibly” adding a few pieces to my own pottery collection! Allegedly…

Always a great time… and always on Mother’s Day Weekend. So if you didn’t make it this weekend… mark your calendar for next year. I already have… and I’ll see then you up north!!!

Always a “good sign” to see a good sign …
touring pottery studios up in Minnesota!!!

The final remains… the car was totaled, as was this chip & dip in the back seat!

Luckily, the plastic crate with three platters in the way-back survived. But now we’re moving on… it’s just clay! I can always make another one… and I finally have a car! Things are looking up & my insurance settlement is done!!! Movin’ on from this fallen tree fiasco!!!