
So the big tree that shades my booth at the HINSDALE FINE ARTS FESTIVAL is gone!!! Apparently it blew & fell down earlier this week…better than happening today, right?! Luckily, it’s a beautiful cloudy day… so we’re all good in Booth #69 today!


Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play |

So the big tree that shades my booth at the HINSDALE FINE ARTS FESTIVAL is gone!!! Apparently it blew & fell down earlier this week…better than happening today, right?! Luckily, it’s a beautiful cloudy day… so we’re all good in Booth #69 today!


Just a quick reminder that this weekend is the HINSDALE FINE ARTS FESTIVAL in Burlington Park in downtown beautiful Hinsdale. I will setting up my tent & filling it with pottery in my usual space Booth #69… typically while enjoying a nice breeze under the big shade tree!!! So come on out Saturday or Sunday for some summer art fair fun!

All glazed & kiln loaded… with some soon-to-be colorful mugs on the bottom layer! Now to get home to start prepping & packing for this weekend’s HINSDALE FINE ARTS FESTIVAL. It should be a beautiful weekend in Burlington Park in downtown Hinsdale… c’mon by!

Just a few more… a few more to glaze & a few more to load. Trying to glaze & load the kiln kinda at the same time. Hoping to get everything in so I can have the kiln fire & cool over the weekend. Just in time for THE NORTHERN ILLINOIS POTTERY TOUR next weekend June 11th & 12th.


Another beautiful orchid starting to re-bloom in my dining room…
and the smallest & cutest orchid in my collection!

You gotta love when one of your pottery students goes on vacation to Cabo San Lucas… and brings back a “souvenir” for you! Gracias mi estudiante Stacey!

Chelsea felt terrible about that stunning purple & red bowl that she glazed… and then broke… and then fixed… and kintsugi’d. She felt so bad… that she wanted to glaze another bowl to make up for it. So I offered up this bisqued bowl… which was already a “collaboration” with Chelsea.
This bowl was made during my “not-so-basic-bowls” demo last session when she strolled by and I shanghai’d her into doing a quick demo of her squiggly indentation technique. And then of course, I had to take it one step further and carved a pattern above the squiggle indents. More is more, right?!

Anyways, I can’t see what glaze magic Chelsea does to this bowl… that last one was stunning! So I have high hopes!!! More photos coming soon…

Just spending a little time cleaning up some crusty bottoms… glaze drips & wadding remains that needed to go!!! Getting ready for this weekend’s HINSDALE FINE ARTS FESTIVAL. Huge thanks to my pals at DiamondCore Tools for their Diamond Grinding Disc. Wet it, spin it, grind it… and that crusty bottom is taken care of in no time!!!
Click here for more information on DiamondCore Tools Grinding Discs!




I love it every late Spring when these crazy cool flowering trees work their magic along the lakefront bike trail. Red horse chestnut trees with incredible spikes of clustered flowers on large textured leaves.





Another weekend. Another art fair. This weekend I’ll be setting up my booth & my pottery in Hinsdale for the HINSDALE FINE ARTS FESTIVAL… in the same booth space as always! Under the tree, in the shade with a nice breeze! Hope you can make it out… it’s a fun show with a lot of great artists participating!

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Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
Lillstreet Studios ∙ 4401 North Ravenswood, Chicago, Illinois 60640 ∙ 773-307-8664 gary@firewhenreadypottery.com |