So my “constellation” of textured wall pockets has been hung in the Gallery Annex. I love how it turned out. And in the perfect location right there at the top of the stairs (thank you Brian). Kinda nice being the very first thing you see as you come up to the second floor. Finishing touches are still being added to the show… and the Opening Reception is next week on Friday, July 24th.

Putting it all together… making a plan for how my collection of textured wall pillows will become a complete “constellation” for the upcoming “Variations In Soda Fired Work” Show.

I’ve been pulling together some of my textured wall pillows for an upcoming show in the Gallery Annex at Lillstreet Art Center. Can’t wait to put it all together…

Need a set of handmade, fluted bowls?!
C’mon out to the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival this weekend… grab ’em before they’re gone!!!

Fresh from the kiln… three new stamped platters!!! Bright colors. Big fun.
On their way to the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival this weekend.
Saturday & Sunday in Burlington Park from 10:00am-5:00pm.

Several of the students in my Tuesday night Beginning & Advanced Beginning Wheelthrowing were more on the “advanced” returning side. As always, I like to customize the 10-week class to their wants & needs. So the first night I ask them what they want and the syllabus is built from that discussion. Along the way, I decided that some of my “returning” beginners needed an extra challenge!!!

So I challenged them to create a dinnerware place setting!!! To step it up and make a few pieces that go together. To make a plan, design a set, discuss visual continuity and so much more. Several of my student took the challenge… and showed off their final results last night during our last class of the session. We talked about having a dinner plate, salad plate, bowl, mug and tumbler. Anything additional was a bonus!

Dave : His set has a wonderful dragonfly illustration he carved into each piece and inlaid with colored slip. Beautifully rendered & well-crafted.

Sara : Her set utilized B-Clay and the way amber celadon so beautifully works with the clay… and just a hint of blue!

Marni : Unfortunately, Marni’s set has a few glazing issues. Her first plate had a much more subtle ombre effect of dark-to-light slip. The waxy white glaze didn’t cover all of her delicate slip work. It seems like the glaze may have been a bit too thick for the rest of her pieces. So they’re a little whiter than she expected, and the slip ombre gradation doesn’t show through as much as we wanted. Still, all-in-all, a beautiful set of “white” dishes.

Jeanette : Her set has a wonderful contrast of black-to-white and matte-to-shiny. Her splatter accents help with her contemporary style. Jeanette also has a slightly “odd” design continuity going on… you can’t quite see it, but let’s just say we’ve got to work on her clean waxing skills in the her next class. There’s a small “fingerprint” of wax on almost every piece where the glaze couldn’t adhere… so there’s a spot of raw clay showing through?! Adorably cute & consistent.

Melissa : After experimenting with marbled clay, Melissa went for it with her set. It’s a marbled combination of B-Clay and Stoneware with Ochre. Then a partial glazing with Josh Green glaze, and a light coat of gerstley borate on the interior. Her set has a wonderful “rustic-ness” to it – what with the earthy clay body and the patina-style glaze. And MORE pieces than were expected.. over achiever!!!

Patty : Her set played with matte black glaze and dramatic “brushstroke” of wax to create a wispy void across the pieces.

Katie : Unfortunately, Katie had a few more pieces still in the kiln. Cooling… but not ready to show off during our last class. I’m sure they will be beautiful with the contrast of Shaner White and Cohen’s Copper Red glaze.

I had a couple more students working on the challenge. Some were struggling. Some just found that life gets in the way of pottery sometimes. One of my students, Vanessa, kind of went off on a wonderful tangent and decided to carve and slip-inlay wonderful designs on all of her pieces. Her labor-intensive technique is illustrating bones, cellular structures and other wonderfully anatomical concepts onto her pieces… like a cranium with all its fissures on the inside of her bowl. She’s still working on them… abd I can’t wait to see the final results.

A huge congratulations to my students who completed their first Dinnerware Challenge. It’s a tough project to stay focused and design a set like this on your first try. I think they all did a wonderful job – and hopefully will continue with this momentum and keep moving forward. Thanks for playing along with my silly little reindeer games!

Looking straight-down on another platter.
And loving how the dramatic side lighting accentuates the stamped textures & center spiral.

Looks like my cousin Kim has been out collecting more homegrown strawberries for breakfast. Good thing she has a nice ceramic basket to put them in. Just sayin’…

Today was a fun day down at the 57th Street Art Fair. I think it’s always fun to visit some of “My Talented Friends” at their art fairs on weekends when I’m free. Great art to see, and a fun time to show your support. We all know how long those art fair days can be… and a few minutes of “fun friend diversion” can make all the difference. So today I pedaled my bike down to Hyde Park for the fair. The tailwind getting there was fantastic… the return ride home wasn’t quite so much fun. A better workout though.

Sarah Chapman made her return to Chicago in style with her beautiful jewelry designs… and a fancy new award ribbon for her collection. Now based in Minneapolis, my friend Sarah has quite the following of loyal customers here in Chicago all seeking out her beautiful jewelry. Some of “us” have quite the collection of her work… and by “us” I mean ME.

Roberta Polfus was there with her beautiful “mini” carved vases, vessels and pods. All with such wonderful textures and glaze effects… and some really sweet flowers from her garden!

Metalsmith Amy Taylor specialized in sterling silver jewelry that incorporates hinges!!! Beautiful metal work and stunning stones come together for some pretty wonderful jewelry.

Delores Fortuna comes in from Galena for the show – along with her beautiful porcelain pottery.

And Nancy Gardner with her whimsically painted pieces with such a rich & wonderful color palette.

Today was a wonderful day. So much fun seeing all of my friends… and hanging out with Sarah & Jules. Nice weather too… but the prediction for tomorrow is not so good. The art fair organizers actually offered up an option to the artists to stay late on Saturday, and then pack-up early to avoid the storms. Unheard of. We’ll see what tomorrow brings… and how many of them decide to stick it out and how many decide to go home tonight?! Glad I went down there today…