Pulling out some of my favorite textured handrollers from MKM Pottery Tools!
Making slabs… making sides for another batch of hybrid mugs!!!

Over my last two art fairs, I’ve had a lot of people asking about the hybrid mugs that I showed making a few weeks back… the ones using my new handrollers from MKM Pottery Tools with the coneflower pattern. Unfortunately, they haven’t made it through the soda firing yet. But with so many people asking… I think I need to make MORE hybrid mugs! This time ALL with coneflowers!!!

Another bonus to hanging out in rural farmlands… WEATHERED BARN BOARDS! Love all the textures & washed-out coolness of Anne’s little barn in back. A little photo shoot in between our artist dinner & a cool sunset!!! C’mon out this weekend for the NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR… for pottery & weathered wood!!!

Just stamping another large dinner plate… all with one handmade clay stamp!

Here’s my latest batch of hybrid mugs… with groovy cool patterns & textures made with some of my newest MKM Pottery Tools handrollers. Now they just need some flashing slip while they’re still leatherhard. Then it’s off to drying, bisque firing, glazing, wadding & soda-firing. Still a long ways to go before these are ready to go!!! Lots of steps… not just in the making, but also in the finishing.

Just a little fun with bricks & shadows on a sunny afternoon Texture Tuesday!!!

This might be the best & funniest Facebook comment I’ve ever gotten?! I don’t think that I’ve been compared to “AI” before?… but I’m kinda flattered in a weird way!!!

This week in my SURFACE DECORATION class, we tackled stamping & sprigging. I showed them the basics of how I approach a pot, how try emphasize the shape & geometry of the pot with my stamps… and the most important part… how to stamp! Sure, not rocket-science, but there are a few tricks!!! I did my demos and then set them loose… with their own stamps they had made the week before, as well as some of my collection. Many of them had made their “homework” pieces to work on, but I was glad I had a made a bunch too so they had more to “play” with! I tried to emphasize how stamping can become addictive… and they heard the mantra more than once…

MORE IS MORE!!!

It’s been a productive afternoon assembling these “hybrid” mugs… wheelthrown & handbuilt combos. There’s still a good amount of work to do on them… refining, trimming, adding handles, drying, firing, etc. But this feels like a good start. It’s always great seeing these “hybrid” mugs come together!

It’s been fun using some of my new handrollers today from MKM Pottery Tools. I’m generally a more “geometric” kinda guy when it comes to patterns & textures. But I will say I’m pretty excited about some of these new rollers that a more “illustrative” pattern on them. We’ll see how it goes with more rollers for more patterns!!!