Today my Summer Campers switched to terra cotta. They threw a bunch of pots, let them set-up a bit and then did some more stamping! Go figure.

Here’s a quick glimpse of a fun platter a made as a class demo. I placed a lace doily onto the freshly-thrown plate surface and carefully covered it with thick white slip. Pull off the lace.. and voila’! Sure, it’s taken me awhile to get it glazed, but I think it was worth the wait.

With just two days until the Schaumburg Prairie Arts Festival,
it’s my very last chance to get these birdhouses fired in time!

So with a quick coat of clear glaze on the roof tops, they’re headed into a single-fire terra cotta cone 04 kiln. Fingers crossed that they fire okay… and that they’re not still too hot to bring to the fair on Saturday!

With just a few days left, I’ve decided to crank out a few terra cotta pieces for the Schaumburg art fair. My soda & cone 10 kilns are done, but I can still squeeze in one last cone 04 electric kiln filled with once-fired terra cotta pieces. People have been asking about the birdhouses I made a couple years ago… so why not make some more?! They’re textured terra cotta. The sides will be stained with black underglaze to help accentuate the textures, and the rooftops will be colored with bright underglazes and then glazed clear. Just hoping that they dry quickly… they’ve got to get into the kiln tomorrow!!!

Well, not quite as cool as rusty metal… but weathered barn board comes pretty darn close! Like this beautiful barn door at Connee Mayeron’s location.

The results are still coming in… and I received another photo in my e-mail from a fellow potter who made his own version of my textured wall pillows. Thanks Patrick!!! After my article in the March/April issue of POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED, I love getting photos of people’s results and how they have made them their own! Keep ’em coming!!!

Hi Gary, I really like this idea of yours; putting clay on the wall.
Great article and it was a blast to do!         Regards,   Patrick

Thanks Patrick for sharing your beautiful results. So much fun to see that people are actually making my textured wall pillows.. and that my instructions in the published tutorial were actually understandable?!!! Ha!!!

Finished building some new salt & pepper shakers. Kinda like my textured tiles…
but a little larger, a different texture on each side and waiting for my next soda firing.
The shakers in this batch are slightly smaller than the ones I’ve been making.
Excited to see how they turn out… and I still need to build some trays for them!

Here’s a quick glimpse at the textured tile wall in my condo. Just under 3,000 tiles on the wall… each one handmade, textured & soda-fired. I love the wall and how the highlights & shadows play over the textures… (2,894 tiles in case you’re wondering.)

The best part of the story was when I was getting ready to install the tiles…

My Dad’s concern was what would happen if the weight of the tiles literally pulled the wall off the studs?! I innocently said “We put a new one back up?!”

And then my Mom’s question was how I was planning on cleaning the wall. To which my response was ‘Who cleans wall?”

Continuing the “Show Me Your PMI Selfie Challenge”… Susan Cordner from Pasadena, California checked in yesterday with her contribution. Not only did she send the Selfie as requested… but she’s been busy in her pottery studio as well.

Sharon took her Selfie, and then went one step further…and started making her own textured wall pillows! Good to know that my little tutorial made sense. That someone could actually read my instructions, follow-along and make something this cool. Glad I did my “job” for POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED. I love the textured pattern she put on them. It looks so much like vintage tooled leather. Style, pattern and surface all look very leathery. Love it.

Here’s my e-mail message from Sharon…
“LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your work … and all those beautiful sunrises:). Here’s a … choke/gag … Selfie LOL!  And, my attempt at a wall pillow … that isn’t. I made the basic idea, all slab, handbuilt, textured. These will be decorated with oxide and shino then ^5 ox firing. Thanks so much for sharing your processes!!”

For more about Sharon, her pottery and her new textured wall pillows, check out her Facebook page by clicking here. And thanks again Sharon for sharing your Selfie and your pottery!

Anyone else up for the Selfie Challenge??? Just e-mail me a Selfie of you with your copy of POTTERY MAKING ILLUSTRATED!!! Send to gary@firewhenreadypottery.com

Repetitive stamping on a stoneware platter. And some pretty sweet lighting & shadows from the regular IKEA work light on my wedging table. Go figure.