Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: blogs, photography, pottery

Okay, so I’ve been snowed in for two days with sub-zero temperatures in Chicago.
And I’ve now been on Pinterest for those same two days.

Now I wouldn’t say that I’m addicted or anything, but it’s only been two days
and I’ve already pinned over 800 pictures!!! I’ve even added two more boards.
One of my “biking sunrises” and another of “nature’s art.”
Sure, they’re all my own pictures so far… soon I’ll need to start pinning someone else’s
pictures when I run out of my own!!! Don’t let the addition take over!!!

So do a search for me on Pinterest and see what I’ve been up to.
Look for “Fire When Ready Pottery” and “Gary Jackson”… or “garyjackson1353“.
Click here for a quick link to my stuff on Pinterest.

Categories: blogs, mugs, pottery, stamps, textures, tiles

Okay, so now I have “official” Fire When Ready Pottery Pinterest boards you can follow.

Yes, I’ve been snowed in and uploading all day.
Five different Pinterest boards full of my pottery images for you to pin & share!
Just do a quick Pinterest Search for the following…

Fire When Ready Pottery

Fire When Ready: Stamping

Fire When Ready: Mugs

Fire When Ready: Tiles

Fire When Ready: Textures

And more to come… although I’m still not sure what I’m doing?!

Categories: blogs, pottery

So I did a little digging around on Pinterest…
trying to figure out how it works, and how I can get started.
I did a quick search and was surprised by the results!!!

If you do a Pinterest search for “Gary Jackson” or “Fire When Ready Pottery”
you’ll find that I’m pretty well represented already! I was surprised how many
of my images came up under each of the categories. So I still don’t quite know
“how to do Pinterest”… but I sure am glad that someone else does!!!

Click here for Pinterest “Gary Jackson.”
Click here for Pinterest “Fire When Ready Pottery.”

Categories: pottery, studio

So I made a new friend & customer today… thanks to Pinterest!!!!
She found a picture of my new textured wall pillows on Pinterest, apparently admired them and then tracked me down. We connected through e-mails & phone calls to set up today’s studio visit. She brought her designer daughter (with her color-matching PMS color book) to pick out two groupings of textured wall pillows. And now these pieces have found a new home… thanks again to Pinterest!

I’ve never really thought about it, but maybe I need to consider this Pinterest thing?! I “kinda” know what it is, and I’ve heard many customers mention seeing my work on it. But maybe it’s time that I need to start using it myself. Seems like all the cool kids are doing it?!… or am I already too late to hop on this bandwagon?!

Categories: family, holiday, patterns, pottery

Getting ready for my Christmas at home with my family.
MOst of my presents are wrapped, by nbags are packed and I just finished making my hot fudge cheesecake I’m bringing with for Christmas Dinner. I hope I can wait that long… might look bad if I showed up and there were already a few bites missing. huh!?!

Categories: pottery, sculpture, stamps, textures

Seems like so long ago… but in my last soda kiln, I fired some new work including these textured wall pillows. I’ve been trying to come up with a new piece for the holiday Home Shows. Something new for people to hang on the wall. I’ve already made ceramic masks and tiled ClayQuilts. Oh, but what to do next… and I came up with these. I started by making these textured round tiles that hang flat to the wall… with a little depth to pop them off the wall. Here’s a quick “teaser’ of a few of them as I was unloading the kiln.

I made them in three different sizes.  My hope is that people will make their own collections, and decide how to hang them on their walls in all different configurations. I threw together this first one on my living room wall as an example for the first Holiday Home Show. It’s a quick “constellation” of textured tiles.

And now I’ve thrown together a few more examples of how they can be used.
Random constellations. Random groupings. Different sizes. Same sizes.
Straight lines. Trios. Doubles. Singles. So many ways to play with them on your wall.

Pick & choose… plenty to choose from to make your own “constellation.”
I had fun making them, so there’s a pretty good chance there will be more coming soon!
Yet, I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to show them at the summer art fairs???

Categories: bowls, glaze, pottery

With my second Holiday Home Show this coming Saturday,
I’ve been getting a few new pieces out of the kiln just in time… limited quantities!
This last batch of glazed pieces comes from a cone 10 reduction gas kiln.
Some of them have some pretty sweet glaze runs & chemical interactions.

You can grab one of these beauties this coming Saturday at my place!
The SECOND Holiday Home Show
Saturday, December 14th from 10:00am-6:00pm.
If you need home address specifics, just send me an e-mail or Facebook message!

 

Categories: bowls, glaze, pottery, stamps

A quick glimpse “before & after” a cone 10 reduction glaze firing…
just in time for this Saturday’s Holiday Home Show.

Here’s a stamped platter leatherhard “before”… and glazed “after.”

And here’s a stamped bowl leatherhard “before”… and glazed “after.”

Categories: art fair, mugs, ornaments, pottery

So here’s the “shopping list” of pieces that I’m offering up for my one-time
“Happy December Online Sale.”

DO NOT use this list to try and purchase any of these mugs or ornaments.
At 7:00pm Central time tonight, I will post the same pieces on my Facebook page.

We’re doing a first come, first served, old-school style “sale.” Keeping it simple.
The first person to “claim” the piece by leaving a Facebook Comment on the photo gets it.
NOT a Comment on the entire photo album, but each individual piece.
NOT by a Comment on this blog post.

So use these photos as a “sneak peek”… to create your “Wish List”…
and then watch for the official launch of the Sale on my Facebook Page at 7:00pm tonight!!!

MUG #1 – cone 10 reduction glazed B-Clay stoneware.

MUG #2 – cone 10 soda-fired B-Clay stoneware.

MUG #3 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

MUG #4 – cone 10 soda-fired B-Clay stoneware.

MUG #5 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

MUG #6 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

MUG #7 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

MUG #8 – cone 10 soda-fired B-Clay stoneware.

MUG #9 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

MUG #10 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

MUG #11 – cone 10 reduction glazed B-Clay stoneware.

MUG #12 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

And now…

 

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #1 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #2 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #3 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #4 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #5 – cone 10 soda-fired B-Clay stoneware.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #6 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #7 – cone 10 reduction glazed B-Clay stoneware.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #8 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #9 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #10 – cone 10 soda-fired B-Clay stoneware.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #11 – cone 10 soda-fired porcelain.

HOLIDAY ORNAMENT #12 – cone 10 soda-fired stoneware.

 

 

Categories: art fair, holiday, pottery

Special thanks to everyone who made it over today for my Holiday Home Show.
It was “crazy-crowded-fun” those first few hours!!! Whew. I’m still working on fixing everything up so I’m ready for another big day tomorrow! Replenishing. Restocking. Ready for Day Two!!! C’mon over…