And then, after a full day of firing the soda kiln & checking in on it throughout the day… when the final cone 10 goes down it’s time to turn it off. It’s always a weird feeling… as the noise you’ve heard all day long suddenly STOPS!!! The flames stop. The noise stops. Quiet. Done. And you just hope that everything went well… and the pots look great… although you know there’s nothing more you can really do at this point. So the silent & simmering soda kiln is a little eerie at the end. Fingers crossed as you head home for the night…

I fired the soda kiln on Saturday… and somehow the rest of the holiday weekend got away from me?!… too much playing outside I think… if that’s even possible? So I’m finally getting around to posting some pictures from my firing. It was a very smooth firing… if anything a little faster than I expected. When the final cones started dropping I was caught a little off-guard… and had a little bit of panic getting my soda mixture all ready. But all went well… and I put in the mixture every 15 minutes or so until it was done! You gotta love when the flames come shooting out like this towards the end of the firing!!!

Just a bit more of a “teaser”… a bit more of the sgraffito platters that Amy Taylor & I have been working on as our collaboration project for ART IN THE GARDEN. We’ll have a limited number of platters, shallow bowls & more with her whimsical illustrations hand-carved through black underglaze to reveal the white porcelain.

Mark your calendars… September 9th & 10th in Glenview!

Another sign that Fall is on its way. Just down the block this beautiful Sweet Autumn Clematis is taking over their fence. Dainty little white flowers on twisting vines… quickly taking over the wrought iron fence.

And while the sunrise was doing beautiful things over the lake… sometimes you need to look behind you too! This striking cloud was playing this morning over the former Edgewater Beach Hotel. The pink hotel with pink clouds… how coincidental.

What a difference a few clouds can make when creating a beautiful sunrise. Sure, the perfectly clear sky is okay too… but I much prefer the drama, the colors & the splash of light upon the clouds. Ever-changing throughout the morning as I pedal along the lakefront. Seriously… the best way to start my day!!!

Just in case you haven’t heard the rumors…
ART IN THE GARDEN is next weekend September 9th & 10th.
Come join us for great art, great collaborations & fun artists!!!

More information at https://www.grassrootsartfair.com/

Here it is… the first “reveal” of the collaboration project that Cory McCrory & I are working on for ART IN THE GARDEN. I constructed the birdhouses with textured terra cotta slabs… and now Cory is embellishing them with her own sense of whimsy & fun! Her attachments are adorable… and I can’t wait to see them in COLOR!!!

For more details about ART IN THE GARDEN… click here… https://www.grassrootsartfair.com/

Looks like Allyn has a morning ritual…
with another morning ritual that enhances the “first” morning ritual?!

Anyone else?

More parts & pieces being added to our collaboration pieces! Looks like Cory McCrory has been busy playing with some terra cotta… much different than her usual paper clay… to make some whimsical additions to my textured part of the collaboration! Can’t wait for the “big reveal” next weekend at ART IN THE GARDEN!!!