What a difference the underglaze wash makes, right?! The way Cory leaves it in all of the recesses just makes all of the textures & colors really POP!!! These birdhouses are getting SO close to being done. Which is good… they need to be done by Saturday morning when the show starts at 10:00am. So who knows?… they might still be warm from the kiln???

After painting all of the colored underglazes & bisque firing them, Cory then adds a layer of a black underglaze wash over the entire piece. The plan is to wipe it off again… leaving it only in the cracks, crevasses & indentations. It’s a long, time-consuming process… but it makes a HUGE difference in the final look… so THANK YOU Cory for putting in the extra effort to make the collaboration really cool !!!

So it looks like Cory McCrory has been extra busy in her studio doing some final touches & details on our collaboration birdhouses for his weekend’s ART IN THE GARDEN. It’s these crazy cool details that are just killin’ it… some underglaze here… a dab of color there!!! Can’t wait to see them in person this weekend!

One more reminder… in case you’ve missed any of my previous posts?… ART IN THE GARDEN is this weekend!!! Saturday & Sunday from 10:00am-5:00pm in Glenview. These sgraffito platters are just a couple of the collaboration projects you’ll find at the show. Amy Taylor & I have been working on these sgraffito pieces… but most of the other artists have been collaborating with each other as well. So there will be a LOT of one-of-a-kind collaborations you won’t find anywhere else! We’ve been having a great time working together on these pieces. We hope you come see the, in person!

For more details – https://www.grassrootsartfair.com/

Yep, there will definitely be flowers in the garden this weekend for ART IN THE GARDEN.
Kristin Conneely is gonna make sure of that!!!

Check it out – https://www.grassrootsartfair.com/

What a difference a soda-firing makes! My pumpkins were white going into the kiln…but they had actually been painted with a smooth orange flashing slip before bisque firing.

After they were exposed to the soda atmosphere during firing, that colored flashing slip “magically & chemically” transforms to a beautiful pumpkin orange color. Also highlighting the curves, creases & warts!!! Looks like we’ve had a great pumpkin harvest… so I’ll have plenty for both ART IN THE GARDEN and ART IN THE BARN!!!

Well, here’s the “Big Reveal” of my soda kiln firing from this past weekend. It’s always a labor of love… not just making all of the work, but also all of the loading, bricking the door, firing, putting in the soda mixture, unbricking the door, unloading the pots, packing it all up, scraping the kiln shelves, kiln washing the shelves, mopping the floor, and so many other “not-so-glamorous” tasks that are all part of the process. Most people think we “just make pots.” Well, there’s a LOT more to it than that!!!

But I’m pleased… my firing came out GREAT.
Nice bright colors… not too much gray “dolphin-skin” build-up! I need to prep & price everything now… getting it ready for ART IN THE GARDEN this weekend… as well as ART IN THE BARN two weeks later!!! Can’t wait to send them off to their new “forever homes.”

OMG!!!… I can’t believe how Cory has knocked this one out-of-the-park!!!

She’s added several layers of colored underglazes to our collaboration birdhouses… and I think they’re AMAZING!!! It might just be one of our best ART IN THE GARDEN collaborations ever! I can’t wait to see them in person this weekend!

Sadly, there are only TEN of them…. and there’s no calling dibs ahead of time… first come, first served at ART IN THE GARDEN. If there are any left after the show, we will offer them up online!

For more… www.grassrootsartfair.com

Yep, she’s good!!! I gave Kristin Conneely another frame to fill and she did it in no time fast! Another beautiful collaboration ready for ART IN THE GARDEN next weekend. I made the stamped ceramic frame, Kristin did her “mosaic magic” inside… and if you look closely, there are little leaves by Cory McCrory… making this a little 3-way collaboration!!!

It definitely feels like Fall is right around the corner. The zinnias are still beautiful, but you can tell they’re nearing the end of their season! Beautiful colors with great petal structure… but a few of them aren’t holding up so well. Enjoy the end of summer while you can…