Kinda forgot about these demo plates from our SURFACE DECORATION class?! Finally getting around to trimming these plates… with some thick slip chattering for surface decoration & texture!

Sunshine yellow with early morning shadows.

And speaking of “smoke”… looks like the smoke bush in my front garden is getting ready to bloom. Tons of tiny little flowers that fill out the bush with a very cool “smoky” illusion… hence the name.

Today is the official first day of Summer! And we kicked it off with an uneventful sunrise. I couldn’t tell if it was just morning haze, marine layer fog or the smoke from the Canadian wildfires still? Either way, I was underwhelmed… but welcome to SUMMER!!!

Just adding a few accents of colored flashing slip to a quick batch of oval vases. They may look white now… but after a soda-firing, these slip accents should turn orange… my favorite color!!!

We started a new session of my beginning wheelthrowing class tonight! New session, new students… new flavor… same “yellow towel situation”!!!

While the new class session starts this week, I found these pictures from last session… when one of my Intermediate Wheel students was working on decorating this large platter. Maya has been working on making a collection of large platters to install on her wall at home. They all have a “leaf motif”… like this one with fresh oak leaves pressed onto her platter, painted with thick white slip… and then the leaves removed to leave natural impressions & patterns. Beautifully done Maya!!!

After playing outside all day, I just had to get into the studio tonight to get a bit of work done. So I’m tackling a new batch of mugs… shocker, I know… but this time I’m trying out a new clay body!!! Sure, I coulda done a test tile or something first. But that just not how I roll. I’m all in!!!

I typically use a lot of B-Clay… but the last time I bought clay from Continental Clay they suggested “B-Clay with Grog.” It threw beautifully, seems to be drying a bit faster… and I can’t wait to see how it reacts in the soda kiln!!!

Always exciting to find a monarch caterpillar out in the wild… even if they are eating away the milkweeds – HA! These orange milkweeds must be a “specialty” flavor for them?!

Pedaling through prairies & wildflowers this afternoon… amazed at the colors & textures already blooming out there. The wildflowers were amazing… but let’s just say, that red-winged blackbird was NOT so happy to see me there! Protecting his area… screeching & dive-bombing at me… telling me to move on away from his territory!