Pulled handles setting-up & stiffening-up just a bit. I want them to be firm enough to handle, not squishy, but still wet enough to alter the curves. By pulling them and looping them over in this way, I establish about 85% of the curve before even attaching! Makes it a lot easier later…

Another batch of mugs assembled… handles attached & drying in my studio!

Another favorite task… pulling mug handles! A lot of potters shy away from pulling handles. But the more you make… the better they get. The better they get… the more fun they are to make. The more fun they are… the more mugs you’ll make!!!

Holiday mugs need holiday handles! So here we go…
getting ready to pull a bunch of handles the traditional old-school way.

Bringing out my favorite carving tools from DiamondCore Tools for some fun Christmas tree texturing! Nice crisp cuts with sharp tools… perfect for the glaze to pool & puddle in all the right places!!!

Spent the day with a bunch of great kids at Vernon Hills High School today… making a bunch of bowls, chatting about pottery & trying to inspire them to play with their clay more. After I threw two bags of clay… two dozen bowls… we talked some more and then started altering rims & decorating bowls. Great fun with a good number of “wow” moments… until the school bell rang & we ran out of time!!! Luckily, all of my bowls are staying there so that the students get to finish decorating, trimming & glazing them… and keep their new bowls!!!

10×10 : No sunrise ride today… what with the rain outside & my bike at the shop! So I started my day early in the studio instead. Cranking out another ten Christmas trees before 10:00 am. Is there such a thing as too many trees?… I think not.

10×10 : It was a busy morning trimming & making things “festive” in the studio.
More than ten done by 10:00am!!!

Just a little detailing & decorating… and they’re looking a lot more festive!!!

This past week in one of my pottery classes
we had a “demo-on-demand” request… and so it begins…