Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: art fair, gallery, lillstreet, pottery

While everyone was quarantined during this corona-craziness, Lillstreet Art Center created a page on their website to help some of their artists during the tough times. Knowing that many of us were facing cancelled art fairs, loss of teaching gigs and no workshops… they created MADE AT LILLSTREET. An online gallery featuring several of their “in-house” artists, teachers & studio members. Please feel free to click on this link to see my current offerings through the Lillstreet Gallery.

Categories: art fair, mugs, pottery

Spent a lot of this afternoon photographing more pieces…
in my kitchen with my little photo booth set-up!

I’m thinking that since this coming weekend “would have been” another art fair weekend… so instead maybe I should post more pieces for another online sale on my Fire When Ready Facebook page?! More details to come…

Categories: bowls, mugs, porcelain, pottery, process, production, stamped, studio

So I finally got “focused” tonight in the studio and started waxing the bottoms of a bunch of pots. I was kinda surprised… there were a lot more than I remembered making?! But they all look like mine…. so… I’ll keep waxing in preparation for a couple LONG glazing sessions to come!

Categories: mugs, pottery, soda-fired, stamped

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY with a few more mugs!
All stamped, soda-fired and ready to go!!!

So if you’re ever looking for a new mug… or bowl, vase, pitcher & more… you can now shop online here on my website! Click on “Online Pottery Shopping” in the top right hand corner!

Categories: mugs, pottery, process, production

My studio plan was to do a bunch of glazing tonight… or at least waxing all of the bottoms… well, THAT didn’t quite happen! They’re still all under wraps to keep the dust from getting on them! Maybe tomorrow will be better. Somehow I got sidetracked on a bunch of other little studio projects?!

Categories: pottery, process, production

Still working in the studio on a special commission project… which yes, includes the piece that literally FLEW OFF the wheel while I was working on it a couple days ago! I threw another one as a back-up just in case… but things are fitting together nicely! All under wraps for the night… now I just have to work on the tops tomorrow!!!

Categories: bowls, mugs, pitchers, pottery, soda-fired, vases

So this first “batch” of pottery is all separated, photographed, numbered and ready-to-go… mugs, bowls, vases, pitchers, teapots, berry bowls and more! It’s going to be first-come-first served… so grab ’em as you can! And then I’ll continue to replenish as some of these pieces get shipped out. More details coming VERY soon!

Categories: art fair, bowls, pottery

Working through a lot of pieces over the past couple days… taking pictures, making measurements, getting ready to post ’em online. Like this assortment of bowls in different sizes & colors! Online shopping information coming VERY SOON!!!

Categories: art fair, artists, pottery

As “shelter-at-home” continues on & on… today is a weird day for many potters as the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour was forced to go “virtual” this weekend for the first time EVER. I’ve gone to the big Minnesota Pottery Tour for MANY years to see a lot of incredible pottery, meet the artists, network, get inspired, play with friends and add to my own pottery collection! It’s become an annual tradition. But this year… it is all online! Which might be the “new normal” for the foreseeable future. But I don’t like it. I miss playing with my friends. I miss touching & holding pottery. I miss a lot of things! But we’re all in this together… so show ’em some love and check-out their online Pottery Tour Sale!!!

Click here to go to the main Minnesota Potters web page… and then go shopping by artist!

And just to whet your whistle… a jew photos from how it “used to be”!!! If you want more, you can also go back in my blog here to see some of my adventures in previous years! Do a SEARCH for Minnesota Pottery Tour and see a bunch of great times & great pottery!

Not so much for this year… mwah, mwah, mwah…

Categories: pottery

A bit chilly outside today, so I stayed inside taking a bunch of pottery photos with my little “photo booth” set-up… in my kitchen!!!