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

Just another quick class demo… showing them how to throw a bit taller, get the clay to move up off of the bottom… and how to get some even wall thickness. Unfortunately, sometimes you gotta cut a few pots to show your students what you’re talking about!

Categories: artists, collaborations

Looks like my pal Mary Foster is back making some more mini-paintings… now if only there was “someone” who could make some creative picture frames to go with them?… maybe out of clay?… maybe another collaboration?… hmmm, just thinking out loud…

Categories: creativity, stamped, vases

Looks like this little green oval vase made it safely to it’s new forever-home! And it looks happy… along with that beautiful table-top surface that I’m totally intrigued by?!!!

Categories: classes, sgraffito, surface decoration

Last week during my Tuesday night pottery class, my teaching assistant Susan did a little sgrafftio demo for the class. We made “bowls on purpose” the week before and introduced colored slips as a decorating option. This was one of those bowls… continuing the week a week later! So Susan explained what sgraffito is… basically decorative carving through a colored slip to “reveal” a design using the base clay color as a contrast. She showed our students how to do it, and then continued during class to make this beautiful “rose” pattern around the interior rim of the bowl.

To see more of Susan’s sgraffito work, follow her on Instagram! – @susanslogoff

Categories: photography, sunrise

At some point, after taking so many pictures of the morning sunrise… you gotta try something different now & again!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Another dark start to another cloudless morning along the lakefront. Chilly breezes that evolved in to bright orange skies… and that perfect moment of alignment with a “natural” light in the lighthouse!

Categories: bowls, stamped

Another batch of postcards arrived in the mail… thanks to my friends at The Postcard Club!!! Making snail mail cool again with hip new postcards every quarter!!! Get onboard as “you are not alone”… all the cool kids are doin’ it!!!

Categories: holiday, textures

The coolest pumpkin I could find… you know how I like my pumpkins to have warts!!! And MORE IS MORE… even with warts!!! Remember when pumpkins were just orange & smooth?!

Categories: mugs, process, production, stamped, surface decoration

Finishing off another batch of mugs to celebrate another MUGSHOT MONDAY!!! Stamped, handled & accented with colored slips for soda firing!!

#mugshotmonday

Categories: mugs, process, production

Getting ready to add make some handles… and then make some mugs! Always my favorite thing to make!!!