If you’re looking for great photography of your artwork… here’s the guy!
Literally. His name is Guy.

Guy Nicol : Photography For Artists

It’s the beginning of the long & arduous season of art fair applications…
and many of us start the season with new professional photography of our work!
I’ve used Guy Nicol for years. But I’ve heard that many artists don’t have a
resource for professional pictures. And sometimes, they make all the difference!
So if you’re looking for a great photographer to make your artwork look even better,
check out Guy’s new website!

Guy’s studio is on the third floor at Lillstreet Art Center. So it’s very convenient for
those of us who work there. But others like to drop off or ship their work to him directly.
Guy offers a wide range of services from traditional slide photography, to digital
images, as well as ZAPP-formatted images for online applications.

His work is very professional and can be seen in many publications as well.
Including three of mine! Beautiful photos by Guy… ceramics by me…
“500 Cups” – page 265
“500 Pitchers” – page 357
“500 Tiles” – pages 219 & 240

Beautiful shapes. Beautiful textures. Beautiful glazes.
Gracefully combined by Kate Biderbost… another Talented Friend of mine!

I’ve know Katie for several years now since our days at the “original” Lillstreet Art
Center. In fact, Katie was one of my instructors early on as I was just getting started
in soda firing. Over the years, Katie has gone away for grad school and now returned
to Lillstreet as a studio member. She continues to teach around Chicago and…
she continues to make great pots!!! In fact, I’ve started quite the collection for myself!
Including a nice collection of Katie’s mugs as they’ve grown & changed over the years!
Her latest style is this beautiful “knit-woven” texture she creates with layers of slip.
Check out her new website and you’ll see her actually working on the detailing!

So now she finally has a website to share with everyone!
After many years of pots… many years of school… many years of teaching…
Katie has finally ventured onto the World Wide Web!!!
Check her out on her new website!!!   www.KateBiderbost.com

So it seems that the current trend is to hop onto the Etsy.com bandwagon.
For those who might not know what Etsy is… it’s an online store for handmade art
by artisans around the country. Seems like everyone is doing it these days.
Which could also be a problem… too many artists all competing for the same buck!

But of course, I’m questioning if I should do it too?
My initial thought is… another place to sell my pottery is always a good idea.
My second thought is… I really hate to pack & ship my things. Yuck. Hassle.
My third thought is… it seems like a lot of organizational busy-work!!!
So then my final thought is… I’d rather be biking right now.

Anyway, a lot of my artist friends are having similar thoughts. Very few of them have
been doing it for any length of time. So we don’t have a lot of “practical” experience.
My gut reaction is that it is too much work, a lot of organizing, photographing, tracking,
packing, shipping and more! Plus, the fear of the accidental breakage during shipping
and how to deal with that headache?! And then there’s the fact that I really enjoy seeing
my customer’s faces light up as they admire & fondle my stamped-texture pots!

The newest entry into the Etsy foray is my friend and fellow potter Marjorie Woodruff.
She holds a special place in my heart as she was also my very first teacher at Lillstreet.
Early on, she encouraged me to give up my corporate job and become a full-time potter.
Well, here we are now… and I tell her it’s all her fault!!! And now it’s a lot of fun as we
both teach classes at Lillstreet now on Tuesday nights. I’m teaching beginning wheel class
and she’s teaching handbuilding.

Anyway, Marj has just opened her Etsy store online – featuring some really great plates
that she has done some nice sgraffito illustrations on them. Such sweet little plates.
Including this adorable plate that she made just for me… with obvious inspiration drawn
from my morning sunrise bike ride photo series – thanks Marj!

So now I’m looking forward to her progress on Etsy to see if she finds it successful.
Check out her store on Etsy… Marjorie Woodruff of Maplewood Clayworks.

Plus, just a few more of my artist friends who are on also Etsy.com for you to check-out…
Amy Taylor – nifty hinged jewelry
Roberta Polfus – small-scale carved porcelain pieces
Molly Bitters – Macabi Studios jewelry
Zach Medler – relief print ceramics

If you have any insights, experiences or opinions on Etsy.com… I’d love to hear them!
I’m leaning towards “no”… but that could easily change.

It’s been a long time since potter-extraordinaire Amy Higgason stopped by
my beginner’s pottery class for a demonstration night of carvings, textures & patterns!
I posted the pictures from her visit way back on October 19th… go back and check it out!
I had dinner tonight with Amy at my favorite restaurant as she’s hanging out in the
Chicago area visiting with her Mom for the holidays before she heads back up to the
Northwoods. She finally got to see all of “our” collaborative pots… and now so can you!

For those of you who may have missed it the first time, here’s a brief recap…
I started by throwing all of the bowls and trying to get them “dried” enough for trimming,
stamping, carving, sprigging and all of the other fun decorative techniques that Amy and I
like to do to our pots! Our intention was to show how five “matching plain” bowls can easily
be transformed into five completely different bowls with a few decorative techniques.
People have asked if they would get to see the finished pieces… so here they are!

Amy trimmed, carved, textured and sprigged this bowl which was then glazed
in Josh Green and Temoku interior.

And blue carved bowl… without the dots, without the sprigs… with a groovy,
“wave” pattern around the bottom. Glazed in Josh Blue with a light spray of Temoku,
then line glazed with Temoku.

And another carved bowl showing off some of Amy’s more “illustrative & organic” style.
Glazed with Josh Green outside – and a beautiful Shino inside.

Plus, a collaboration bowl where I stamped, she carved, I squared & stamped again…
then liner glazed & inlaid glaze with Temoku and soda-fired for the final effect.

And the fifth bowl that I stamped in my own style then glazed with Josh Blue
and a slight spray-over of Temoku… and a nice, creamy Antique White inside.
Complete with Amy-inspired stylish foot-ring indentations!

So there’s the final chapter in my collaboration class & bowl demo with Amy Higgason.
We’re already talking about future projects. And trying to get Amy back to Lillstreet for
some sort of future workshops & demonstrations!!!

Remember, you can always check out more of Amy’s “solo” work at Pigeon Road Pottery.
www.PigeonRoadPottery.com

After spending an entire “Mud & Metal” day with Sarah yesterday at my place…
selling, chatting, schmoozing, replenishing, drinking grape soda and just plain hanging out…
we also celebrated Christmas with a little gift exchange. Merry Christmas to me!!!

I was excited when I opened my present from Sarah to find a new addition to my
“Chapman-wear Collection”! Another beautiful necklace made just for me! With a beautiful
orange stone that she had picked out just for me. And in typical Sarah Chapman style,
this one is also double-sided so I can wear it either way – silver or bronze!

I hope she liked her gift as much as I like mine?! A pair of stamped & soda-fired mugs
plus a special ornament I purchased during the One-Of-A-Kind Show. The ornament was
made by Brad & Sundie Ruppert of “Vintage Sculpture”. They make these really great
sculptures out of recycled materials – especially bottle caps! And after a little searching,
I found the perfect ornament to celebrate Christmas and our mutual “love & admiration”
for grape soda! And now we have matching ornaments too! Follow the connection?

A couple years ago, I purchased another wonderful piece of art from Brad & Sundie Ruppert.
It’s a wonderful piece made of wood, letter blocks, wire and bottle caps! And a wonderful
motto to live by. I love it… and it makes me smile every day! I was so excited to find them
again this year at One-Of-A-Kind… and to add a little more art to my Christmas tree…
and Sarah’s tree too! Merry Christmas to the both of us!

Well, I’ve been working all day trying to get everything back together for tomorrow’s
Holiday Home Show. It always surprises me how much time it takes to pull it all together.
The last home show was just weeks ago, and who knew that I would need to do so much work
getting ready to do it again? I guess that happens when you “live” in a pottery store!
Which is what my condo has felt like for the past month!

So everything is back together… and ready to go for tomorrow’s big sale!
Pottery in every room, bargains on the porch, snacks in the kitchen – great gifts for everyone!

Mud & Metal : A Holiday Collaboration
Saturday, December 11th from 10:00am-6:00pm
With metalsmith Sarah C. Chapman and knitter-crocheter Nancy Jana Kent.

If you need my home address to make it to the sale tomorrow, shoot me a quick e-mail
or call my cell phone for directions & details – (773) 307-8664.

So my place is all set, decked out and replenished for tomorrow’s show! I’ve made room
for Sarah & Nancy to display their pieces as well – including their own “shlepping” discounts!
I’ve even re-purposed some calla lilies & kangaroo paw for fresh floral color in the kitchen!

Okay… so I did “take a break” from setting up today to run up to Stirling Hall in Lake Forest
to see my friend Katie Biderbost who runs the art center up there. Tonight was the kick-off
night for their weekend holiday sale. Lots of fine pottery, paintings & jewelry! Sadly…
no discounted “Tired Of Shlepping Sale.” So here’s my suggestion… come to my place FIRST
and then go up to Stirling Hall, say hello to Katie when you get there and buy more art!

This coming Saturday is my second Holiday Home Show – this time it’s “Mud & Metal.”
A holiday collaboration with a couple of my talented friends. Metalsmith Sarah C. Chapman
and knitting & crocheting Nancy Jana-Kent. Both of them will be joining me at my place
this Saturday from 10:00-6:00pm. Luckily, I have tomorrow to finish replenishing the
shelves, gathering up some more “Tired of Shlepping” pieces to markdown, and make some
room for the guest artists to show their stuff too! Beautiful stuff like this…

Another Holiday Home Show this Saturday with just two weeks left to shop for the
holidays! The shelves are stocked full, replenished since the last holiday home show…
plus, this time there are two guest artists!

Stop by for a wonderful day of holiday shopping with handmade objects of both mud & metal.
With pottery in every room of my condo, there’s sure to be a lot of great gifts for everyone
on your holiday shopping list… including yourself! Mugs, vases, bowls, oil lamps, berry bowls,
soap dispensers, garlic keepers, salt & pepper shakers and more – all food-safe,
dishwasher-safe & microwave-safe! Plus decorative items like tiled ClayQuilts,
ceramic masks & holiday ornaments!

Saturday, December 11th : 10:00am-6:00pm
Stop by early for the best selection, or come later to do a little shopping or simply hang out
on my couch. Either way, we’d love to see you this Saturday! As always, hot apple cider and
yummy snacks in the kitchen! Back by popular demand, my Mom will be bringing
her special “cereal cookies”!!! Reason enough to come over this Saturday!

Special Guest Artist : Sarah C. Chapman … she’s the “Metal” part… get it?!
Sarah will be joining me for the day with her incredible jewelry. Architecturally inspired metal
work with great design, textures & patterns. From smaller pieces to wear everyday to larger
“showy” pieces sure to impress your friends, all of Sarah’s work is handmade and easy
to wear. I have quite a collection! Check out Sarah’s work – www.chapmanmetals.com

Special Guest Artist : Nancy Jana-Kent
Many of you have met Nancy over the years as “my biking friend” or the “home show cashier,”
but Nancy is also a talented knitter-crocheter – and she’ll be bringing some of her fiber work
on Saturday! Hats, scarves, lavender sachets and more! Perfect holiday gifts as the
temperatures continue to drop!

Special Offer : The Tired Of Shlepping Sale
All three artists will be offering up a selection of great pieces at incredibly low discount prices!
The back porch has been replenished with new pottery pieces marked down to move. I’ve just
scoured the storage room to collect even more pieces that I’m “tired of shlepping” from art fair
to art fair! Some class demos, some older “vintage” work, some the last of a production line…
a few seconds, a few novelties, a few summer camp projects… all good to go!

Plus : New this weekend… I will be selling off some of my own personal collection
of pottery in the Tired of Shlepping Sale! Perfectly good pieces by some different artists
that have just been “squeezed out” as my personal pottery collection continues to grow
and my tastes continues to evolve. Some names you may recognize, some you may not…
but they’re all great pieces! And will make a great addition to someone else’s collection!

Hope to see you this Saturday at the Holiday Home Show!
If you would like more details or my home address, please send me a quick e-mail.
Remember : Saturday from 10:00am-6:00pm

Or, if you can’t make it on Saturday, become s Fan on Facebook – and get quick
updates on the fly! Nothing too fancy, just some photos & anecdotes about what’s
going on in my creative world. Just find me and then click the “Like” button…
www.facebook.com/firewhenreadypottery

After traveling the show, and taking in the over 600 artist booths, glazed over & dazed,
but still in the holiday shopping mood… I decided to go back to visit my new “favorite”
ceramic artist in the show. None of the pottery really took my breath away… except for
the crystalline glazes of Anne Gary. But I’ve seen her work before at Art In The Barn.

But there was one new ceramic artist there who was doing great things with clay!
Combining more traditional woodcut print block techniques with clay to create some
wonderful imagery & sculptural works. Indiana artist Zach Medler takes his own whimsical
views & drawing styles to create individual pieces, as well as larger installation pieces.
He has a great story, passion for his work and obviously enjoys what he does! And so do I.
I especially loved his textures, patterns, colors, surface and whimsical quality!

I love meeting new artists and supporting them if I can. So there I was, chatting it up
with Zach and trying to figure out what I was going to buy. And I was enamored by his series
of buildings that were along the top of his display. I was torn between the holiday decorated
houses… or go for the year-round, non-decorated buildings. Then he started telling me the
story of his grandmother, how she collected holiday houses, how he now lives in his
Grandmothers house… and look here, THIS house is his Grandmother’s house!!! Sold.

So the decision to go holiday houses was done. And I knew I had to get the one that
represented his Grandmother’s decorated holiday home. But one wasn’t enough.
You know groups of three always look better. You can’t have a collection of just one piece.
So I was going to get three. But which ones? Looking. Comparing. Lining up. Rearranging.
Analyzing. But somehow I couldn’t make three work out. Something always looked off.
But if I bumped it up to five… somehow it all fell into place. So there it was.
My new collection of FIVE HOLIDAY HOUSES!!!

Like I said, the first one coming home with me was Zach’s Grandmother’s house…

After a long weekend at the “One-Of-A-Kind Show”… it was refreshing to have made a new
clay friend named Zach Medler. And great to have added a new “collection” to my already
overflowing home. Some of you have seen my home and my many collections.
I really didn’t need to start another one. But I do have a great fireplace mantle…
and it needed some great ceramic holiday houses by a great ceramic artist, right?!

So today I went to the “One Of A Kind Show” down at the Merchandise Mart
to shop with my friend Nancy… and to help my friend Sarah Chapman who is
exhibiting her incredible jewelry!!! So after checking out Sarah’s latest pieces and
catching up on the latest stories… Nancy & I head off to do a little shopping. With over
600 artists exhibiting, there is a LOT to see. So much of it is incredible!!! However…
there is always a handful of things that aren’t. We like to employ the secret code-word
“lovely” for those things we need to talk about “politely” while the artist is within
ear-shot. But all of my friends know what the secret code-word really means!

So, as we were shopping we saw many beautiful works of art. Many things I would like
to take home with me. But as a self-employed artist – I must show restraint. Until…

You know when you walk past an artist’s booth and it kind of takes your breath away?
When you see something that really connects with you on several levels? When you meet
the artist and they are the nicest, most sincere, bubbly & creative person which somehow
makes the artwork all that much better?! Well… there it was in Booth #7084.

So…
You know how I love rusty metal.
You know how I love “conglomerations” of things that create other things.
You know how I love recycling objects into new works of art.
Well… so does Tammy Roy of Stratford, Wisconsin at 180-Degrees Design!!!
And look what I got…

It’s a large bowl made out of metal tools and other fun stuff! Okay, so it’s not rusty… yet.
But it will be. Tammy told me a couple different options to speed along the rusting process!
I’m not quite sure where it’s going to go yet – but that doesn’t matter. I firmly believe that
if you see a piece of art you love, you should always buy it and find a place for it later.
And I’m still trying to convince my parents of that too…