Once again, I’m kicking off the New Year by turning out a new batch of reclaim clay in my studio. It’s a pretty big pile this time. Lots of trimmings & scraps all re-hydrated and ready to go. Unfortunately, I think I may have let it go a bit too long over the holiday break… and the pile is bit drier “stiffer” than I’m accustomed to.  I actually added some more water to it and stirred it up BEFORE I turned it out onto my plaster bat to get it to dry again. Kind of counter-intuitive. And I’m a bit concerned that the “wedging it back into clay” process may be a bit tougher than usual. I usually need to let it sit for a couple days to stiffen up… but this time I might be wedging tomorrow!!!

And every time I do this, it reminds me of “The Blob” from my childhood. Very few people seem to remember this, but it was really cool. “The Blob” was basically a pile of clay on a pedestal that “came to life” as an artist did some quick cutting & sculpting to give it a personality. To the best of my recollection, it was from the kid’s show “BJ and Dirty Dragon.”

Tonight before class I had a wonderful visit with a fellow potter from South Carolina. Stephanie follows my blog and decided to put a visit to my studio on her itinerary while here in Chicago for her husband’s business trip. It was great to meet them both, talk pottery and give them a tour of Lillstreet Art Center. I hope they enjoyed their visit as much as I did… and Stephanie is taking a mug home as a souvenir!

Thrown one night. Stamped the next. Sure, they were a little squishier than I would normally like, but I had to keep them moving forward as I’m kind of rushing to get everything done. I’ve got another bisque kiln in a few days, and then my soda kiln a week from tomorrow. So I’m trying to rush a few last pieces through the process to get these bowls into both kilns… and done in time for my Holiday Home Show which is two weeks from this weekend!

Bowl #1 –

Bowl #2 –

Bowl #3 –

Bowl #4 –

Bowl #5 –

Bowl #6 – Somehow I forgot to photograph this one before I stamped.
Suddenly it was just done?!

Yesterday I rescued some “slightly-used” flowers from the “glitter gig.” I brought them into the studio to spruce up the place. I love the textures & colors of my new studio still-life.

Studios are open & my shelves are stocked for the Ravenswood Artwalk. Go for a stroll up and down Ravenswood for lots of art, studios, galleries, shops, demos & fun. Be sure to come up to the second floor of Lillstreet Art Center to say hello in Studio 205 West.

I’ll be in my studio all day long… not so sure about tomorrow’s schedule yet.
But even if I’m not there, my studio will still be open and one of my studio neighbors
can help you out. There’s a lot to see all around the building… and all over Ravenswood!

Ravenswood Artwalk
Saturday, October 5th – 11:00am-7:00pm
Sunday, October 6ht – 11:00am-6:00pm

More glazing… and now the second side of my studio cart is full. Just a few more filler pieces and I should be ready to start loading.

And I must admit… I’m kind of excited about my new teapots! I haven’t made any for far too long. I just hope that they turn out as well after the firing. They’re too much work for them to get “ruined” with a bad glaze job!

It was a long & productive evening in the studio. I’m loading the soda kiln tomorrow night… and I still have a LOT of glazing & wadding to do. Tonight I filled the front half of my studio cart… tomorrow I tackle the other side. When the cart is full, I know I’m pretty close to a full soda kiln!

Gotta start glazing. I’m loading another soda kiln Friday night, and I’ve got a LOT of blank bisque waiting for some color… no such thing as too many mugs, right?!

So I unloaded my bisque kiln… and it covered most of my studio work surfaces.
Problem being that I’m still trying to finish some more pieces for another bisque kiln tomorrow. And I am quickly running out of room to work. So… necessity was the mother of invention… and now I’m stacking my work in progress! Yes, it’s come to this. Yikes!

My studio was more than full of stuff today. Wet pieces here. Drying pieces there. Stamping going on at the table. Things stacked on the floor. As usual, I was stuck looking for more space to work. Lucky for me, my studio neighbor Karen Patinkin has a large table that she wasn’t using… and I knew she was gone for the afternoon. And when opportunity knocks… I’m more than willing to answer. And more than willing to take over her studio too!!!