Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: art fair, bowls, stamped, textures

A few more bowls… a few more colors, a few more stamps… and who doesn’t LOVE a good spiral?! Always food-safe & dishwasher-safe. Perfect for everyday use… just not guaranteed “gravity-safe”! A few more pieces that will show up in my “brand new” ETSY SHOP during the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR next weekend!

Categories: bowls, soda-fired, stamped

A little more stamping & soda-firing to “bowl” you over… little glimpses of some of the bowls that will be available during the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR. It’s this weekend on Friday, Saturday & Sunday… with twenty-one potters, free demos on ZOOM & even some free pottery giveaways!!!

Check out www.northernilpotterytour.com for more details… and be sure to follow The Tour on Instagram @northernilpotterytour

Categories: art fair, pottery, stamped, textures

Just pulling together & photographing a lot of pieces for the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR… and noticing a smidge of textures & stamps here & there?! Go figure… a little visual “teaser” of the pieces that will be available on my new ETSY SHOP starting Friday, June 18th at 8:00am!

Check out the website for more Pottery Tour information & free demo schedule! www.northernilpotterytour.com

Categories: garden, soda-fired, stamped, vases

Looks like someone’s succulent garden got a little upgrade… a stamped & soda-fired wall pocket vase purchased during the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival. I’m sure they will love their new home & be thriving in no time!!!

Categories: classes, platters, stamped, surface decoration

As part of my SURFACE DECORATION end-of-class trading game, tonight I put one of these green plates into the game… still in the category of “something stamped.” And as luck would have it, Christine went home with a green stamped plate… and I went home with her stamped mug!!! Go figure!

Categories: artists, classes, mugs, stamped

As part of the final SURFACE DECORATIONS class of the session, we did my favorite “trading-exchanging-stealing” game… with the category of something stamped! Everyone put in a piece they made this session, and then went home with someone else’s!!! I was the lucky winner of this cute mug by Christine! A wonderful memento of our SURFACE DECORATIONS class!

Categories: flowers, soda-fired, stamped, vases

We’re a few days after the Hinsdale Art Fair… and my booth display flowers are STILL hanging in there! Looking good in their stamped & soda-fired vase!

Categories: food, holiday, mugs, soda-fired, stamped

Since I don’t drink coffee or tea, I need to find other uses for my mugs! Like celebrating another Mugshot Monday at the same time as today’s national holiday… it’s NATIONAL CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM DAY!!!

And if I’m going to go for it… I’m going all the way with my favorite “Phish Food” from Ben & Jerry’s with caramel sauce, marshmallow goo & chocolate fish swirled inside!!! Gotta celebrate the holiday in style… burp!

Categories: art fair, mugs, soda-fired, stamped, textures

Getting ready for tomorrow’s BIG DEBUT of my new “wheelthown-handbuilt-combo” mugs! Cleaning them up, smoothing some bottoms & packing them up for a trip out to Hinsdale this weekend! Stop by the HINSDALE FINE ARTS FAIR in Booth #69 to see me & my new mugs… and a LOT more textured & handmade pottery!!!

Categories: stamped, vases

Still prepping… still packing for the Hinsdale Fine Art Fair!!! Currently working on some new ikebana flower vases. A simple & clever way to display just a few flowers and yet make a sweet floral statement. There’s a water reservoir and a pin frog under the ceramic disc… kinda “framing” the flowers while allowing them to stand gracefully above the center!