Looks like Spring is working its way into Oak Park… and my friend & fellow potter Roberta’s backyard where the snowdrops have started to bloom. She brought a few blossoms inside for her perfect little bud vase! So pleased that my tumbler made her photo shoot! Thanks for the shout-out Roberta!

Check-out Roberta’s amazing work on her Facebook page…
https://www.facebook.com/robertapolfusceramics/

Birthday cake never looked so good! Sure, I might be extra hungry after my long hike today… but these photos of Rosene’s chocolate birthday cake sure look scrumptious! Yummy chocolate frosting on a stamped & soda-fired plate! Although methinks she might need a larger platter… and just asking, but where are the birthday candles?!!!

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY with a quick reminder that you can shop online anytime! You can get your own mug to “celebrate” along… over 50 to choose from… as well as bowls, vases, berry bowls, and bunches of other pottery pieces.

Just click here to view My Online Pottery Store –
http://firewhenreadypottery.com/my-online-pottery-store/

POTTERY FLASHBACK! So my good friends wanted to get their granddaughter some new pottery. Apparently, Sarah has been “complaining” that everyone else in the family has “nice Gary pottery” and all she got stuck with was “The Ugly Mug”!!! It was this stamped amber mug that Sarah had at home… while everyone else thought it was a different “ugly” mug?!!!

Turns out a different family member had the original “Ugly Mug”… from early on in my pottery career even before stamping!!!

Either way, “ugly” or not… Sarah ended up with some new bright blue pottery to add to her collection thanks to Rosene & Gerry. Hopefully overshadowing & wiping away the memory of Sarah’s original “ugly” pottery!!!

Uh oh… another one bites the dust!!!

And this one is a bit painful.
It was the very first mug that my very first art fair friends ever got from me! It has lived a long life with them… as you can tell by this earlier “style” with minimal stamping and too much glaze for a good soda-firing?! Luckily, they have more than PLENTY of my newer pottery pieces in their house… and I’m sure they’ll get more!!!

Sad day & sad mug Rosene!

Celebrating another TEXTURE TUESDAY with a few close-up detail shots! Crackled slip textures thanks to the magic of sodium silicate!

Here’s a few more shots of the crackled slip vases I made since class last Thursday. For these, I used colored flashing slips to see what happens to them when fired in the soda kiln. It’s been a fun process to play with… creating different textures & patterns that “magically appear” as the pots are bulged out and the slip begins to crackle!

So when I shared this crackled slip technique with my class last Thursday morning… they asked if I thought it might work its way into my own body of work. I scoffed and said “I don’t think so.”

But I posted some class demo pictures online and they got some good loving… and then THIS happened!!! Looks like maybe I should not have scoffed so quickly…

Looks like Kristy & Matt had a special Valentine’s Day last weekend… celebrating with sweet treats and some sweet pottery! Thanks for sharing your special day with all of us!

Looks like someone found the perfect napkin holder… employing one of my stamped & soda-fired oval vases with the perfect fit!