The weather was SO incredible… that some of our s’more Hershey’s chocolates began
to melt in the sun. With only a few options, Amy decided that her best option was
to eat it as “drinkable chocolate” fresh from the foil wrapper. Great idea… and I can
confirm that it works like a charm. But I had to double-check at least a couple times!

So the fun continued this morning… with fun around the fire!
One of the “selling points” of our marketing campaign was gourmet s’mores!
So we’ve been playing with various combinations of yummy ingredients.
Sure, we had the traditional graham crackers, Hershey’s chocolate & marshmallows.
But we also had an assortment of cookies, crackers, chocolates, spreads and more.
My personal favorite was gingersnap cookie, Reese’s peanut butter cup & jumbo
marshmallow. We even had vegetarian marshmallows (who knew?) and gluten-free
graham crackers. Plus, Amy’s cousin’s wife spoiled us all with homemade graham
crackers & marshmallows!!! Yes, homemade… again, who knew any one would even
take the time to make marshmallows?! Thank You Kirsten!!!

But then this morning, Amy decided to up the ante… with gourmet breakfast s’mores!
Those of you who know me, know that there is nothing too sweet or too rich for me.
I have the palette of a four year old. I could easily eat the whole bag of jumbo
marshmallows right now! But I digress.

So Amy brought out her “gourmet” ingredients.. and the toaster!
Picture this if you will… in order of the bowl “stacked” s’more…

Toasted Eggo Waffle. Chunky Peanut Butter. Hershey’s Chocolate. Bacon Bits.
Then a toasted JUMBO Marshmallow… toasted to gooey perfection!
Another Toasted Eggo Waffle… with homemade raspberry preserves spread on it.
Squish… and then drizzle with Real Maple Syrup! I know.. sounds like a lot…
but it was great!!!

Here’s Sarah making her s’more… which was a group effort to get the layers ready…
as Sarah toasted her very own vegetarian marshmallows!

And here’s mine… with the “real” jumbo marshmallow squishing out the sides!!!

And then Amy made her’s, complete with some spiced apple compote that Wendi made.
Which too was awfully scrumptious – with a kick of hot pepper!

And as if one weren’t enough… I had to go in for another one. So I went “deconstructed.”
With a layer of crumbled gingersnaps, graham crackers, crunchy peanut butter, chocolate,
toasted marshmallow, spiced apple compote… and some more real maple syrup!
Can you say “sugar high”???… Followed by “sugar coma”???

Many of you know that I’ve always said “it’s so nice to have talented friends.”
And this weekend, I get to play with some of my favorites! So if you can’t make it
to ART DETOUR, here’s a quick preview of my very artistic friends…

Amy Higgason : Pigeon Road Pottery
As the local Northwoods host of ART DETOUR, Amy invited a few of us to join her
at her studio & home for the weekend. Amy’s work is very detailed, textured and often
very illustrative. She splits her time between the carved, textured & glaze colored pots,
and the more illustrative “brown & black” collection.

Sarah C. Chapman : metalsmith
My favorite metalsmith… with unique designs using textures, inclusions and oxidized silver
to create one-of-a-kind pieces that can be worn everyday. Or special events. Or whenever!
I must admit I have quite a collection of Sarah’s work… and always hoping for more!

Wendi Powalisz : Back 40 Arts
With a vibrant color palette, Wendi creates this beautiful pictures which I think
tend to resemble “batik” paintings. Her Northwoods imagery is punctuated by her vivid
color choices. In addition to her two-dimensional works, Wendi also makes jewelry using
vintage glass beads, buttons & findings. Wendi also lives in a log cabin which her husband
built on 200 acres of woods. Her home & studio are “on the back forty!” Hence the name…

Kathy Furda : Northern Light Glass
Although Kathy wasn’t able to join us this weekend for ART DETOUR, her work was
on display in Amy’s studio space. The play of light streaming across & through her glass
windows & beads was quite refreshing. We all hope that Kathy and her family are all
doing much better. And we all missed having Kathy here to play with.

So there they are… the talented friends playing with me this weekend at ART DETOUR.
I hope you have a chance to come play with us. It’s a beautiful weekend in the Northwoods!
We’ve got lots of art… and lots of s’more fixins’ to share!!!

After the sunrise, it was back to Pigeon Road Pottery for another day of ART DETOUR.
So we re-built our displays after packing everything down for the night. The “fear” of
stay animals wreaking havoc in our tents overnight, plus the chance of wind & rain,
made us all very cautious. So we all had a lot of re-assembling to do. And just in time,
as the customers were coming in full force.

While we were meeting customers and enjoying ART DETOUR, I was also taken by the
natural surroundings. Fall was definitely in the air. The colors. The textures.

And then, just to make Wendi’s flowers even prettier, this little butterfly decided to hang out
with us for quite awhile. Flitting around, sucking nectar and basking in the sun.

And by the end of the day, Amy, Wendi, Sarah and I were all quite pleased with how the
ART DETOUR was going. Not only were we having a lot of fun, and eating a lot of s’mores…
the customers were actually showing up, buying art and having fun with us! There were
a LOT of s’mores being made. And we were all on a bit of a sugar-high by the end of the day.

The merry group of artists hanging out at Pigeon Road Pottery after another long day.
Sarah, Wendi, myself and Amy (left to right) were pleased with the day, and happy that it
was almost over. Only one more day to go…

Well, here it is… the first day of ART DETOUR.
And it’s still beautiful her in the Northwoods…

We got up this morning and put the finishing touches on our tents. Generally, I do the
majority of my set-up the night before. But this time, Amy discouraged us from setting
up too much as there could be some overnight “visitors” wandering through and it
would be terrible if they got into our tents and caused some damage.
Deer… and raccoons… and bears, oh my!

With my tent & shelves all assembled, and all of my pots in place, flag flying, and my
holiday ornaments in really cool muffin tins from Amy… we were ready to kick-off the
ART DETOUR. Not a moment too soon… as our first batch of eager shoppers arrived
just moments before 10:00am. A wonderful car full of women from Indiana who have come
to know Amy, and collect her work. It was such a great feeling to start off the day on such
a high note. Keep in mind, this is the firs time for the ART DETOUR, and Amy’s first time
“going rogue” cutting herself off from the “official” tour. We were all a little concerned
that maybe no one would show up?! But they did…

As part of our clandestine marketing strategy, we’ve also created some wonderful buttons
for our new-found Detour Friends to wear… especially when they go onto other locations on
the “official” tour. Just a “subtle” reminder that we are out there doing our thing… and hoping
to make ART DETOUR a new “event” in the Northwoods art community.

And if a souvenir button isn’t enough, we’re also offering up the making for gourmet s’mores!
Sure, you can make the old-fashioned, traditional variety. But you can also make one with
gingersnap cookies & peanut butter cups! Or mushed inside a mint Oreo cookie! We’ve got
gluten-free graham crackers & vegetarian marshmallows for those with dietary concerns!
We’ve covered our bases, and now we need to roast some marshmallows!

And if you made a s’more… you can be a “s’moron” too! And get a button to boot!!!
With a great flow of customers coming through, and our spirits high… who wouldn’t be happy
especially when there’s an overflow of sugar going on!!! We were all having fun…
everyone except for Wendi’s sunflowers which didn’t seem to be holding up too well
in the surprisingly warm October day in the Northwoods!

Well, today was the big day. After months of planning, the ART DETOUR
is finally here. Pots are made. Signs are painted. Luggage is packed.

So I spent the morning getting ready and packing my car. A little different this time
packing my own car… instead of having my “assistants” and their van at the ready,
I had to try and pack as much as I possibly could into my own RAV4. Something new
for me. How many shelves will fit? How many crates will fit? Tent on the roof???

Just after noon, I finally got in the car and started the trek north. It’s a beautiful
drive up to Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin. Especially once you get past Madison
and the Wisconsin Dells area. And as luck would have it, the sun was setting
just as I arrived in the Northwoods. Perfect scenery… perfect timing…

Amy was already hard at work setting up her studio. As the host of ART DETOUR,
she was setting up her studio space getting ready to show off Pigeon Road Pottery
and her “invited guest artists” for the weekend. So we took a break and went out for dinner…
including some wonderful fried cheese. We’re in Wisconsin after all…

Tonight I had the opportunity to meet & talk with installation artist David Best.
Most well known for his installation works at the annual Burning Man event,
David Best created this incredible “temple” structure for an event I attended tonight.
And yes, it is even more stunning in person. You can walk around it to marvel at the design,
as well as climb up to the second floor for more. The back side “under the stairs” was quite
intricate… as well as the beautiful chandelier hanging from the central dome! Love it!!!

So this entire structure is created out of flat sheets of pressure treated plywood.
Very detailed & intricate, the structure is a full two-story “gazebo” with fantastic
design elements. Layers upon layers of intricately cut sheets create this dramatic effect.
And a splash of theatrical lighting doesn’t hurt any either!

So we talked with David Best about this creation, but even more about his other pieces…
including his future plans for the next few years. And how he used to be a pretty “big name”
potter back in his day. Including several articles & photo spreads in Ceramics Monthly
magazine, I, of course, hinted a couple times that I would LOVE to be an assistant the next
time he’s creating one of these! He kind of laughed… but I was dead serious!!!

I’m sure you can see why, but I was just so smitten by this installation piece. So stunning.
Simply breathtaking. And not only was it this temple that took my breath away, but there
were also three hanging chandeliers. One of the chandeliers was in the central “dome” area
of the gazebo, the other two floating diagonally away from the temple.

ART DETOUR is just one month from today!
Three days of art, friends & fun up in the Wisconsin Northwoods!
Mark your calendar now for a wonderful Fall weekend getaway. C’mon up North!!!

I will be there with my tent full of pottery, along with some of my friends and their beautiful
artworks as well. We will all be setting up at Pigeon Road Pottery… home & studio of my
friend Amy Higgason. Stop by to see her studio full of incredible pottery, plus jewelry,
paintings, glass beads & fine metalsmithing by Sarah Chapman, Kathy Furda & Wendy Powalisz.

ART DETOUR will be located in Lake Tomahawk – between Rhinelander & Minocqua.
Surrounded by beautiful woods, lots of lakes and plenty of natural beauty!!! Especially in Fall.

Plus, during that same weekend, “allegedly” there is another studio art tour going on
around the Northwoods. We’re not “officially” part of the tour… we’re the Detour!!!
“Alledgedly” there will be a lot of other studios & artists to see, but we’ll be more fun…
and we’ll have s’mores! With a campfire going all weekend to toast your marshmallows!!!

Remember you can follow all of the artists, activities & fun on Facebook!
www.facebook.com/artdetourwisconsin

Okay, so my small little studio just seems to be getting smaller?!
The more I make, the smaller it all seems to get. How does that work?
Therefore, I needed to improvise… so thank you to my studio neighbors Karen Patinkin
& Lisa Harris who’s “studio weekend off” gave me a little extra space to dry my pieces!!!
Perfect for me – and they didn’t even know it… until now!

At the Gethsemane Art Fair today, I started yet another ceramic collection!
This time, it’s these incredibly intricate tiny “beauties” by Lillstreet artist
Terry Hogan. I’ve been watching these pieces evolve and change as they make
their way through the kilns & firing process. What started out as these tiny
textured trinkets… Terry is now expanding her level of “craziness” to larger
more sculptural pieces! And you know how I LOVE crazy details!!!

I know it’s kind of hard to determine the actual size of these pieces… so here’s a
quick photo to show you just how tiny they are. Which also shows you just how small
& intricate Terry’s work is. Love the textures. Love the patterns. Love the tiny!!!