Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: art fair, artists, My Talented Friends, sculpture

So last night I was part of a great ZOOM call… FOUR MAKERS making plans for a fun “sculpture show” coming up next Spring in Evanston, Illinois. I will be joining three of “My Talented Friends” for a show on March 3rd, 4th & 5th, 2023. We’re planning a great show with artwork & collaborations by metalsmith Sarah Chapman, metal sculptor Darlys Ewoldt & glass fuser Robin Kittleson. Not quite sure yet what I’ll be making for a “sculpture” show… but you know how I LOVE a good challenge! Mark your calendars now!

Categories: sculpture, summer camp

Last week at Summer Camp, we had an other week of large sculptures… and a great Sculpture Gallery Show on Friday! So much fun watching my campers build & paint these large pieces during the week… as well as memorizing fifty famous artists & sculptors along the way!

Categories: animals, lillstreet, sculpture, summer camp

So yesterday afternoon, there “may” have been a strange sighting outside of Lillstreet Art Center. There was “rumor” of a giraffe standing out on the corner of Montrose & Ravenswood!!! In Chicago?… Shocking, right?! Well, not so shocking for one of my Summer Campers this week who made his life-sized baby giraffe in Sculpture Camp! Murray worked hard on his giraffe… so we just had to show him off to the world!!!

Categories: sculpture, summer camp

After a wonderful week with a great group of Summer Campers… we had a brilliant Sculpture Gallery Show at the end of Friday for parents, siblings, friends & other summer campers. The kids were so proud of their sculptures… and I was SO PROUD of them! Such a great time showing off their hard work… their creative efforts… and speeding through flashcards & showing off their new art history knowledge!!!

Categories: sculpture, summer camp

To culminate the end of our Sculpture Camp, we set-up a fun “Sculpture Showcase” in our classroom… and invited the parents, siblings & other summer campers to come see the artwork on display. Each camper got their own display area for their sculpture & birdhouse… and they acted as docents to answer questions and discuss their process & inspirations. Such a great way to close-out a wonderful week with a GREAT bunch of campers!!!

Categories: sculpture, summer camp

Friday morning we had some time for the Summer Camp kids to finish painting their sculptures. Some still had a lot to cover, while others were ready to start painting details, patterns & expressions bringing their pieces to life!

Categories: sculpture, summer camp

After layers & details of plaster gauze, my Summer Campers were ready to start painting their sculptures. I love when their sculptures start “coming to life” in vivid colors & details… and their laser-focus is always so impressive!

Categories: creativity, sculpture, summer camp

On Wednesday, my Summer Campers switched their focus to their large scale sculptures. We discussed their ideas, the postures, the armatures & how they were going to tackle the project. We constructed most of the armatures out of boxes, wire, cardboard & dowel rods… and then covered the armatures with newspaper & masking tape. The goal was to get them as “identifiable” as possible at this point… so that the layers of plaster gauze to come would solidify everything & give them a surface to add more details & paint later.

Categories: sculpture, summer camp

So this week’s Summer Camp is culminating this afternoon with a very special SCULPTURE SHOWCASE… a “gallery” showing of my summer campers’ large sculptures & ceramic birdhouses. If you’re anywhere near Lillstreet Art Center this afternoon, please feel free stop by Room 304 from 3:00-3:30pm to see the kid’s artworks! They’ve been working hard all week… it’s a great group of kids making some GREAT sculptures… and I’ll have plenty of photos to come!!!

Categories: animals, sculpture

Another beautiful blue sky day… perfect for pedaling along the lakefront. Getting the miles in & finding new sculptures along the way. I’ve seen the “darker” one several times on the north side during my sunrise rides… but never quite stopped to check it out. And who knew there was a “companion piece” down on the south side too?!


Crazy cool compilations of cast metal animals – stacked, bound, tethered and otherwise defying gravity. Take a moment to try and figure out which animals are in each!!! Both sculptures are by artist Nancy Rubins… thanks for sharing your work on the lakefront!