Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: process, production, tools

Getting ready for a big trimming session… lots of mugs to be trimmed tonight! And thankful for my Giffin Grip every time I pull it out… it’s been well-used & well-loved. One of my favorite tools in the studio… makes trimming so much faster & more fun too!!!

Categories: production

Throwing small, throwing quick. Another quick batch of spoon rests. Might just get some stamping soon… allegedly…

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped, surface decoration

Spent some time in the studio tonight stamping patterns into my latest batch of mugs!

Categories: production, stamped

Revisiting an old favorite… and making a batch of oval casseroles! Tomorrow’s project is to make the lids & add handles!!! Yep, little baking dishes coming soon!!!

Categories: production, stamped, surface decoration

Putting together a little “surprise” for my GREAT LILLSTREET THROWDOWN students… they might just recognize a few of these stamps… since THEY made them!!! Shhh… don’t tell anyone!

Categories: art fair, production

So while the soda kiln is cooling all day today, there are PLENTY of “other projects” going on to fill my day today! I can’t believe that our “4×4 : FOUR MAKERS” pop-up show is now just a few days away! And I still have SO much to do…

Categories: glaze, mugs, process, production, soda-fired, surface decoration, textures

So I’ve been glazing the latest batch of “hybrid mugs” in preparation for this weekends Soda-Firing Workshop. A simple liner glaze of tenmoku… and then I had to decide which ones to leave raw outside, and which ones need a bit more lovin’ & a bit more colored glaze accents before soda-firing.

Categories: art fair, friends, gallery, process, production

Looks like my talented friend & master metalsmith Sarah Chapman is still working on her collaboration pieces for our “4×4 : FOUR MAKERS” gallery show next weekend in Evanston. I can’t wait to see Sarah’s, Darlys’s & Robin’s pieces when they all come together. Fingers crossed… I’m still working on mine too!!!

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

Just a handmade stamp & a pointy piece of wood. Soon enough I had this fully stamped platter ready to start drying more. Still needs to be trimmed… but one step closer to done!

Categories: handbuilding, process, production

Fiddling around with a little clay tonight… making some leaves… and making some new “plans” hopefully for the “4×4 : Four Makers” Show. Starting small, making more… and trying to figure out where these leaves might end up?! Fingers crossed...