Schaumburg Prairie Arts Festival
Saturday, May 25th & Sunday, May 26th
Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center, 201 Schaumburg Court in Schaumburg, Illinois
In the park, around the pond, between Meacham and Roselle Roads.

It’s the perfect chance to see what I’ve been working on over the Winter.
Inventory has been fully replenished with a lot of new pieces. I’ve been busy.
All of them are handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces. Bowls, vases, mugs, planters, tumblers,
salt & pepper shakers and ClayQuilt tiled wall hangings… and much more!!!
I hope that you can make it to Schaumburg this weekend.

I’d love to see you in my usual booth spot… Booth #51 right on the corner!
Keep your fingers crossed for good weather and we’ll see you this weekend…
                                                                                    … and bring your friends!

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And if you can’t make it this weekend… you still have a few more chances…

Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, June 8th & Sunday, June 9th
Burlington Park on Chicago Avenue between Washington & Garfield Streets in Hinsdale, Illinois

Evanston Lakeshore Fine Arts Festival
Saturday, August 3rd & Sunday, August 4th
Dawes Park on Sheridan Road at Church Street along Lake Michigan in Evanston, Illinois

Art In The Barn: Barrington
Saturday, September 28th & Sunday, September 29th
On the grounds (and in the barns) of Good Shepherd Hospital on Route 22 in Barrington, Illinois

“My Home For The Holidays” Home Show
Saturday, November 23rd & Sunday, November 24th
At my place with pottery & handmade pretties in every room of my condo…
as well as my annual “Tired Of Shlepping Sale” on the back porch!

Later, when I got home, I heard a radio newscaster refer to the morning weather as “soupy”?!!!
Seemed oddly fitting.

The day starts early in the morning with blue flames going in…

And ends with a lot of orange flames shooting out… exaggerated by the addition of the soda mixture, and flaring out of the reduction environment seeking the oxygen!

It’s always exciting to fire a kiln and know that soon you’ll be seeing the pieces you’ve created finally done. You’ve worked on things for so long. Throwing. Stamping. Trimming. Firing. Glazing. And finally firing again. One step closer to the finished product.

An empty kiln holds such potential. Ready to be stacked layer by layer, shelf by shelf.
Of course you need to take a second or two to admire the kiln. To appreciate the colors and crustiness of the bricks. Over the course of many firings, the soda build-up changes colors and “eats-away” at some of the bricks. So it’s actually bad for the kiln, but kind cool to look at. Except for the arch of the kiln.. which has definitely seen better days. Remember the definition of an arch… well it generally refers to a curve somewhere. Sadly, the arch of our soda kiln doesn’t look too curved any more?! Uh oh… and yes, the next picture is the top “curve” of the arch… and I use that term loosely…

So I start with loading the back stack which is just one shelf deep.

Once the back stack is done, you can start the front stack which is two shelves deep. At this point it’s always a delicate balance of packing as many pieces into the kiln as possible… versus keeping enough air space around the pieces so that there’s plenty of air movement during the firing to distribute the soda. I have a tendency to pack my soda kiln tighter than most. I want to get in as much as I can!

Once the kiln is all stacked & packed, it’s time to close up the front door… brick by brick.

Once the kiln is closed, I turn on the burners for about 15 minutes to get some heat in there to dry out everything overnight. So I came home for a very quick sleep so I can get back to it early tomorrow morning to get the kiln started. The earlier I start, the earlier I can finish firing!!!

With such great cloud cover this morning, it felt like we were destined to have a great sunrise. It was either going to go one of two ways. A beautiful splash of color across the clouds… or no sun at all if it’s hidden by the clouds. Turns out we got a splash!!!

Then suddenly, in a matter of minutes, the orange sky transformed to golden hues with dramatic dark clouds ever encroaching.

And then the clouds won out, and then beautiful sky show dissipated back into gray.

And yes, I’ve once again added on my masking tape “safety belts.” As I need to roll my cart down the hallway, take it down the rickety freight elevator, and then roll i tall the way onto the kiln room, I have found that some pots like to “jump off” the cart if you’re not careful. So a few “safety belts” help keep everyone safely in place!

Sadly, the boat is not mine. Nor is it a friend of mine. I just loved how serene it all look. And how the sky and water just kind of blend into one another.