Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: mugs, pottery, soda-fired, stamped

Celebrating another MUGSHOT MONDAY with a quick glimpse at some of the new mugs that came out of the soda kiln last week! These and many more will be ready for my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW... as we’ll start with well over a HUNDRED mugs to kick-off the Home Show!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Another morning with crisp weather & clear skies. Barely a cloud in the sky along the lakefront. Perfect to kick-off another week of beautiful Fall weather! It was a bit chillier than I expected though… gotta up my game tomorrow with some warmer gloves!!!

Categories: bike, Chicago

I must admit that I’m one of the few who actually “like” when the time change “Falls back.” It kinda feels like I’ve gotten a bonus hour to play! After my sunrise ride, I worked in the studio all morning & afternoon. But skipped out just in time for a beautiful blue sky ride along the lakefront. Such a wonderful afternoon… this Fall season has been fantastic this year!

Categories: color, nature, seasons

After a blustery day yesterday, there are a LOT of leaves scattered about. Fall has apparently FALLEN!!! Luckily, these golden solomon’s seal leaves are still hanging on!

Categories: sunrise

One hour earlier as we “fall back” today… but still a stunning sky show with a fluffy blanket of clouds blowing through to cover the morning sky.

Categories: bowls, surface decoration, tools

Spent a little time this afternoon carving some leaf patterns on a small bowl with white slip banding. Always easier with my DiamondCore Carving Tools!

Categories: kiln firing

Solving the mystery of the “missing” cone pack! Remember when I was firing my kiln, a couple hours into it I finally took out the top peep to look at the cone pack… only to find that it was just plain GONE!!! So it turns out that the top cone pack literally exploded at some point. It must have still been damp inside or too thick. My concern was that the shrapnel would end up inside some of my pots!!! Luckily, none of the pots were affected. The cone pack “parts & pieces” ended up on the shelf next to it… and a few pieces fell all the way down to the kiln floor. The unexpected hazards of firing a kiln!

Categories: kiln firing, process, production, soda-fired

It’s a rainy & windy day… perfect for sharing some more photos from my recent soda firing! Lots of pots ready for my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW in two weeks! So now I just need to prep & price them all… as well as setting up all the shelves & decorating my place! The pottery party is in just two weeks!!!

Categories: art fair, pottery

Hard to believe we’re just two weeks away from my HOLIDAY HOME SHOW!!!… ‘cuz In my head, it should still be summer!? So mark your calendars now, make your holiday shopping lists & get ready to bring a friend! This is the biggest pottery show I do all year… with pottery in every room of my condo, all decked out for Christmas, food & drink in the kitchen and the ever-popular TIRED OF SHLEPPING SALE on the back porch!

Categories: garden, nature

I’ve always loved sumac bushes… the shapes of the leaves, the structure of the bushes, and most importantly the wonderful color they turn in the Fall. Like this little sumac growing in my front yard!