Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: process, production, stamped, surface decoration, textures, vases

All stamped & detailed with colored flashing slip. Set aside for the night as they start to dry… for an upcoming bisque kiln! Meanwhile, freshly thrown pots cover my work table hoping that they stiffen up enough overnight so I can stamp them tomorrow!

Categories: process, production, stamped, stamps, textures, vases

A little early morning stamping… larger vases getting patterned & textured. So now they need some trimming & colored flashing slip accents before they start to dry!

Categories: platters, process, production, stamped, stamps, textures

So I did a plate-throwing demo in class this week… but who wants a “plain” dinner plate?! Not me… more is more, right?! So I just did a bit of stamping to make it a bit more fun… all done with one handmade clay stamp pressed in one-by-one-by-one-by-one!

Categories: process, production, tools

Just doing a little trimming working on some of this week’s class demo pieces! Sure, I make them in class, but find I need to finish them up in my studio before the next class so they don’t dry out too fast over the week. So I spent some time tonight trimming a few pots… always more fun with my DiamondCore Trimming Tools!!!

Categories: process, production

And then THIS happened… l
ooks like a swashbuckling pirate massacre happened here!!! Never fear… it’s just red underglaze from painting pirate bandanas!!! Ha!!!

Categories: handbuilding, process, production, terra cotta, The Ghouls Collection

So the past couple days I’ve been swarmed by pirates everywhere!!! Working feverishly in my studio to get these little “Ghouls” done in time for ART IN THE BARN this weekend in Barrington. I finally got them all assembled. Cute in terra cotta brown… even cuter in color, but still painting!

Categories: handbuilding, process, production, terra cotta, The Ghouls Collection

Moving right along… forty faces done… next up?… character details! The newest addition to The Ghouls Collection is well under way… gotta have them all done by next weekend! Yikes!!! The “big reveal” happens at ART IN THE BARN in Barrington!

Categories: process, production, terra cotta, wheelthrowing

Okay, that’s a good start! Gotta stay focused if I’m going to have these done in time for ART IN THE BARN! I finished throwing them all tonight… now I just have to “ghoul-itize” all forty of them!

Categories: pottery, process, production

Trapped air inside a piece WILL explode if there’s not an escape hole!

When I was assembling my ART IN THE GARDEN collaboration wall vases, I apparently neglected to add escape holes on the bottom half of this vase. And voila’… shattered during the firing – blew right off! Just proving the theory… as it happens to all of us at some point! Good thing I made a couple extras…

Categories: art fair, artists, collaborations, color, flowers, process, production

Looks like Cory McCrory is in the final stretches with our collaboration project. Just putting some finishing touches, staining, sealing & assembling all of the parts & pieces… before se starts choosing the “perfect” trio of flowers for each of the wall vases that I made. Another wonderful collaboration project with Cory coming together in the nick of time for ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend!