Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: bike, sunrise

Another glorious morning along the lakefront… still chilly, but less breezy & calmer waters prevailed today. It was fun to watch the colors change while the sunrise was starting to play with the clouds. Always the best way to start my day!

Categories: flowers, soda-fired, stamped, vases

Also from yesterday’s Andersonville Farmer’s Market… some more beautiful dahlias looking for a nice handmade vase to call home! Like this double-handled, stamped & soda-fired oval vase. Handmade pottery makes the pretty flowers even prettier!

Textured “panel” made with a handroller from MKM Pottery Tools.

Categories: food, holiday, platters

After yesterday’s Andersonville Farmer’s Market… I was stocked-up at Stamper Cheeses & prepared for today’s holiday… who knew?! So here I am with my favorite blue cheese & blue cheese-layered Brie… for NATIONAL MOLDY CHEESE DAY!!! Yummy!!!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Colorful clouds on another chilly morning… had to pull out the long sleeves again! And went with the gloves, but found I didn’t really need them out yet. Beautiful colors along the lakefront for another stunning morning ride!

Categories: bowls, classes

Part Two of my class demo last night was to turn all of my simple round bowls into some “not-so-basic” bowls with simple alterations & surface decorations. Just encouraging my students to start decorating… to push their clay a little further… and to more HAVE FUN!!!

Categories: bowls, classes

And then THIS happened!!! While my students went to practice making their bowls… I made “a few” more too!!! Just one bag of clay quickly turned into bowls. All waiting to be altered & decorated as Part Two of the demo!!!

Categories: bowls, classes

Last night in my Beginning Wheel class, we tackled throwing “bowls on purpose”… instead of cylinders gone bad!!! This was my demo bowl…with a nice smooth curve & a sweet little spiral inside!

Categories: food

It was a banner night of OREOs in class tonight!!! We had two different varieties… neither of them cookies!!! The Muddy Buddies were pretty much like “puppy chow” mix that everyone makes… meh… just okay. Homemade “puppy chow” is so much better! But the new combo Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup & OREO pieces were quite yummy!!!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Chilly & windy for my morning ride… still a fun way to start the day. The warm summer days seem to be over… as Fall is definitely in the air. Crisp & cool as the waves were crashing around this morning along the lakefront.

Categories: seasons, weather

From this morning’s sunrise bike ride!!! I’m usually so focused on the horizon to the east for the sunrise… but this magical surprise was hanging low & off to the west.