After a great trip to an orchard & pumpkin farm this past weekend, there’s lot to share…
seasonal Fall favorites for a colorful TEXTURE TUESDAY!!!


















Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play |
After a great trip to an orchard & pumpkin farm this past weekend, there’s lot to share…
seasonal Fall favorites for a colorful TEXTURE TUESDAY!!!


















So I did a little roadtrip up to Appleton, Wisconsin yesterday to drop-off some hybrid mugs with the fine folks at MKM Pottery Tools. It was great to finally meet Rick, as well as his support staff with Angie, Rachel, Seth & Christopher… as we’ve only known each other “virtually” online. It was great to finally hang-out, get to know each other for real & deliver some of my soda-fired hybrid mugs to them. It was kind of a cool “full-circle moment” as I use the MKM handrollers to create my hybrid mugs. And Appleton is apparently where all the magic comes from!!!







I got a fun surprise “shout-out” by the folks at MKM Pottery Tools. There I was just casually scrolling through my Insta Feed… and suddenly… “Hey, that mug looks familiar?!”… and it was one of mine! Just another one of my “hybrid mugs” that are both wheelthrown & handbuilt. The top part is a textured slab made with my favorite carved handrollers from MKM Pottery Tools! So many patterns, so many options… thanks again MKM!!!



We’re just about a week away… and I still have a lot of work to get done, glazed & fired before ART IN THE BARN in Barrington. Sure, I have some new platters & bowls ready to go… but I’m still working on my newest Halloween Ghouls!!! Racing towards the deadline as usual.



The new Ghoul isn’t gonna build itself!!! So I’ve been working on my newest character addition for the past couple days. Starting with a prototype… and deciding which of my tools might help facilitate my Halloween Ghoul production & personality this year?! Obviously… some handmade stamps & MKM handrollers will be used!

Also in the kiln… a fresh batch of fortune cookies!
With a nice wash of iron oxide to help the textures “pop.” We’ll call this batch “replenishment.”

Early morning “slip dip” for the latest batch of hybrid mugs. Adding some colored flashing slips to the textured “handbuilt” portion… which will change colors during a future soda firing! Just a little “clean-up” needed first…

Handles attached… they are now “officially“ mugs! Hybrid mugs both wheelthrown & handbuilt. Using both techniques throughout the process. Just need to add some colored flashing slip tomorrow & then they can start drying.




Trimming the bottoms on my newest batch of hybrid mugs. The bottoms are wheelthrown, the sides are handbuilt, and then shaped & finished in the wheel. Back & forth… and back & forth. You know I love trimming… AND a nice clean footring!

Time for a textured slab … thanks to the great handrollers from MKM Pottery Tools!
Great designs always with clean & crisp edges! Love ‘em!!!

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Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
Lillstreet Studios ∙ 4401 North Ravenswood, Chicago, Illinois 60640 ∙ 773-307-8664 gary@firewhenreadypottery.com |