A beautiful evening for stroll along the Chicago River… before heading back to the studio for the night. Blue skies, wispy clouds & warm temps… gotta get outside to play once & awhile!!!

After an hour of sculpting time, my THROWDOWN students had finished their first cereal mascot sculptures. Only to find out that they weren’t done yet… and that they had to do a second one in just 45 minutes!!! They could have traded mascots… but instead, all decided to go with a new cast of cereal characters!!! It was so much fun watching them make these amazing sculptures… watching the parts & pieces come together in the final minutes!!!

This week in my GREAT LILLSTREET THROWDOWN class, I challenged them all with a sculpture challenge! Most of them had never done a three-dimensional sculpture before. And what better way to celebrate NATIONAL CEREAL DAY than by sculpting some of the famous cereal mascots!!! They may have been new to sculptures… but “They’re Grrr..rreat!!!

Rusty metal & mossy cement sculptures… what’s not to like on another gray & gloomy day?!

A bit of a hazy start to the day. Looks a little “foggy” over the skyline… shrouded before the sunrise. And a quick glimpse at the large blue sculpture at Diversey Harbor. You may not know the artist who made it… but my Summer Campers sure do… first AND last name!!!

And the answer?… the sculptor of this sculpture?… JOHN HENRY.

Looking over the shoulder… the Chicago Picasso from a less well-known vantage point! And the view that I think “explains” a lot. Notice the profile silhouette that lines-up if you pay attention as you walk around it. Brilliant… and I love that so many people have never seen this!!!

Okay, I’ve said for years that I “only know enough metalsmithing to be dangerous.” Even with that in mind… I can’t comprehend how ANY of this is coming together?! Darlys Ewoldt makes these crazy-cool metal sculptures all fabricated by hand. Looks like this one will be making its way to “4×4 : FOUR MAKERS” this weekend… after this patina process is done giving it beautiful color & surface finishes. Can’t wait to see it this weekend in Evanston!!!

This week in THE GREAT LILLSTREET THROWDOWN, I figured they’ve had a lot of challenges lately… so it might be time for some fun game time! So instead of another wheelthowing project… we went with CLAY-TIONARY! Basically the classic game of Pictionary, but with sculpting of clay versus drawing on paper! They had so much fun… and surprised me with how competitive it got!!! Not the best “sculptures”… but they were all under a quick time crunch!

Any guesses from their clues?…

1. The Beatles

2. Martian

3. Monopoly

4. Scooby-Doo

5. Royal Flush… yes, that’s supposed to be a crown!!!

With “4×4 : Four Makers” just a couple weeks away, it good to see some sneak peeks of what Sarah & Darlys are working on in their studios! I can’t wait to see their masterpieces in person at Space 900 in Evanston!

Something “blooming” in my studio today… hoping it stays fresh as we’re just three weeks away from “4×4 : Four Makers” Show. I still need to fire, glaze & fire again. I haven’t quite figured out if this is Plan A, B or C?! I’m working on three different versions… hoping at least one of them works out!

Mark your calendar for this fun pop-up gallery show in Evanston the first weekend of March! March 3rd, 4th & 5th… more details to come…