Looks like my cousin Kim’s backyard is still in full bloom… including the wall pocket vases she’s installed on the side of her large tree! While they may not have drainage holes, you can still plant in them if you add a layer of pebbles in the bottom & be cautious while watering! Plus, it doesn’t hurt any that Kim has a green thumb!!!

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY with a bunch of the stamped mugs that came out of my most recent soda firing. I’m always so excited when you open up the kiln and see such bright, soda-fired colors… and not all of the blasted “dolphin-skin” darkness that so many soda-fired pieces get. Remember, not all soda-fired pottery needs to be black, gray or brown!!!

So today I’m packing up many of these mugs to come with me to ART IN THE BARN next weekend in Barrington. Be sure to stop by… I’ll be in the Lower Barn as usual in my double booth!!!

Looks like Jan is celebrating a yummy MUGSHOT MONDAY with the new hybrid mug that she picked-up during ART IN THE GARDEN! Your morning rituals are always better in handmade pottery. Don’t forget… you can get yourself a new mug this coming weekend at ART IN THE BARN in Barrington!

Another huge THANK YOU to all of our loyal customers who came out to our grassroots ART IN THE GARDEN last weekend. Especially those who got there and snatched up some of our one-of-a-kind collaboration projects! Like these black & white sgraffito platters… where I made the porcelain pieces & metalsmith Amy Taylor did the sgraffito doodles. I think they turned out great.. and they all disappeared very quickly!!! So thanks again for supporting your favorite artists!

What’s black & white… and red all over?
Thanks George for sharing your fresh tomatoes in one of our porcelain sgraffito collaboration pieces from ART IN THE GARDEN! The colorful tomatoes totally “pop” on the black & white dish!

So we’re just one week away from my last art fair of the summer! And it’s one of my favorites… and biggest with a double booth full of pottery! Mark your calendars for next weekend to come out & visit ART IN THE BARN in Barrington! I’ll be in my usual booth in the Lower Barn… and we’ll have the “big debut” of the newest Halloween character to join “The Ghouls Collection”! Sure, they may still be warm & fresh out of the kiln… but who’s counting?!

Some of my favorite flowers in one of my favorite vases! A perfect combo for the back porch! Seasonal black-eyed susans in a stamped & soda-fired vase!

So this weekend is the RAVENSWOOD ART WALK. A great chance to wander up & down Ravenswood (on both sides of the train tracks) to see a lot of the studios & art spaces along the way. I will be working in my studio all day Saturday… and most likely Sunday as well. Those darn Ghouls aren’t going to make themselves!!! So please feel free to stop by, say Hello & maybe grab a new mug for yourself?! Yep, I’ll be stocking my studio shelves with plenty of handmade mugs for sale! So get outside, enjoy the day… and enjoy the art!!!

Lillstreet Art Center… Studio 205 West… halfway down the second floor hallway on the right hand side!

So apparently I’ve somehow become the “poster child” for the Chicago Festival Guide?…
or at least the Ravenswood Art Walk this weekend???

One of my studio friends said she saw me on WTTW… err, what?!

It’s our local PBS station and I had no idea what Annie was talking about. Later that night, she sent me the links to prove that she wasn’t making things up!!! And there I was… a photo of me working in my studio in one of my favorite tie-dyed t-shirts! And I have zero recollection of this?! But, I can tell you that the photo was taken back in 2016 when the Zombie was my new Ghoul for the collection. So I don’t feel too bad about not remembering! HA!!! Thanks for sharing Annie… and for the “eagle-eyes” while watching WTTW.