While in Peoria, I gave my friends a few boxes of “seconds” and cracked, chipped, kiln-splotched or glaze-ruined pieces of pottery for them to break-up and use in their garden. They have plans to make a nice alternative to pea gravel & mulch in a few places!

Always fun to see my “pottery-pal” Suze Lindsay from North Carolina and her amazing textures, patterns, brushwork and soda-fired effects on the St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour. She’s always a ray of sunshine on the tour!

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With predictions of rain & clouds for last Friday, it sure turned out beautiful…
especially bright & cheery with the colorful works of Karin Kraemer
on the St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour.

Our first stop Friday on the St. Croix Pottery Tour found us having a nice chat with sgraffito master Matt Metz. And then this beauty decided it “had to” come home with me to join my ever-growing Matt Metz Collection. First souvenir of the St. Croix Pottery Tour!

We had practically perfect weather this past weekend as we enjoyed
the St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour. So many pots. SO MUCH FUN!!!

So apparently this ad ran in the New York Times yesterday…
and someone posted it on the wall outside my studio. Not really sure what the ad is “for”…
just a photo and a header, no body copy?! But I agree just the same!

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Yesterday my cousin Kim was hunkering down for another April snowstorm…
bringing in a few early bloomers before the snow got the best of them!
Thanks for sharing Kim!!!

It was a fun weekend at the PRAIRIE VIEW ARTS INVITATIONAL in Naperville. A good show to kick-off my art fair season. Great to meet some new folks out there… and to show off some new pots! Huge thanks to the organizers who put together such a smoothly run show with all the perks!!!

They did such a great job from loading us in & loading us out…
yes, THEY transported all of my shelves & pots from & to my car for me!!! What?!!! No kidding. Not to mention all of the food and fun a along the way. Friday night they had dinner for us during set-up, a free public champagne reception, live music and a Taco Truck!

And then on Saturday, they offered us breakfast & lunch, as well as a never-ending, bottomless soup bar!!! Over fifteen handmade soups for a small donation to the Youth Group. Also great to “wash it all down” with some sweet snacks from Katherine Anne Confections!!!

Not to mention that they set my booth space right across from my metalsmith buddy Amy Taylor! Even better to spend the weekend playing with her and looking at all of her sparkling beauties!

And my new favorite of hers… a groovy necklace with a miniature glass Coca-Cola bottle
and an amazing old-school handmade pull tab on the chain!

And oh, but wait there’s more… did I mention that the PRAIRIE VIEW organizers even offered up overnight Home Stays for the artists! So I drove four minutes from the art fair to my Home Stay for a great overnight… and then four minutes back the next morning. So much better than driving all the way back to & from Chicago each time. Thank you Ann & Bob. And as an added BONUS!!!… I also got to sleep with my new best furry friend Jake!!!

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If you’re anywhere near the Bucktown neighborhood tonight, be sure to swing by iD Chicago on Damen for tonight’s Opening Reception. It’s a ceramics show for one of my current pottery students – Shannon Steele! She’s been making these amazing forms by altering her wheelthrown vessels. Great shapes & amazing glazed surfaces.

And if that weren’t enough… the shop owners are my former pottery students as well.
Be sure to say HELLO to Stephen & Tony when you’re there!!!

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Another platter. Another stamp. Stamp. Stamp. Repeat.
And repeat again… and again… one by one… from plain to fully stamped!

And done. For now.
Next up is drying slowly… bisque firing… glazing… and firing again! Quite the process!!!