As if fifty potters on a large weekend Pottery Tour weren’t enough…
As if there weren’t enough pots for sale during the Minnesota Pottery Tour?
As if we won’t be overwhelmed by incredible pottery next weekend?!

A week from today, on Saturday 5/11 & Sunday 5/12… there’s a few more pots not quite “on the Tour.” But instead just off the beaten path & well worth the drive. Add them to your own Tour! They’re the Rogue Potters… a rag-tag group of potters who are making some great pots, selling them at incredibly affordable prices and having a wonderful time being passionate about their art & playing in the mud!

Their “humble, little kiln shack” is located just off of Highway 95 at 32280 Vista Road, Taylors Falls, Minnesota. If you’re doing the “official” Pottery Tour next weekend, be sure to watch for their signs along the side of the road. Take a quick detour and follow the signs. It’s worth the trip. They’re in a cool, slightly run-down, old farmhouse with pots in every room of the place! And most likely, you’ll even be greeted by their friendly golden retreiver!

When you do stop by to see them, be sure to say hi for me… and then ask them how they came up with the “brilliant” name for their pottery. You may just be surprised… and then buy some great pots!!!

To see more work & information about the Rogue Potters,
click on the LINK on the right side column of this blog page.

Just two weeks from today…
We’ll be headed up to see some of my favorite potters in St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour. Bob Briscoe, Matt Metz, Suze Lindsay, Steven Hill, Delores Fortuna, Sylvie Granatelli… and many more! There are seven studio locations open to the public, with talented potters everywhere… from everywhere. Three days of fun – and SO many great pots to see!!! Friday, Saturday & Sunday… yep, Mother’s Day Weekend! And yes, I’m headed north with my Mom & Dad for the weekend. Some added quality time with my parents!

As an added bonus, this year there will be seven new potters added to the Pottery Tour.
It’s always fun to see some new people, new pots & new ideas on the tour.

Ani Lasten – from Takoma Park, Maryland

Dan Finnegan – from Fredericksburg, Virginia

Ernest Miller – from Minneapolis, Minnesota

George Rector – from Cullowhee, North Carolina

Hannah McAndrew – all the way from Scotland!!!

Mike Helke – from River Falls, Wisconsin

Sarah Jaeger – from Helena, Montana

Wouldn’t it be great to some day break into the cool crowd and make it on to this “New Potters” list for big Pottery Tour? Dare to dream… dare to dream…

One month from today I’ll be playing in Minnesota…
Surrounded by some of the best pottery by some of the country’s best potters at the
21st Annual St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour. It’s the perfect place to meet the artists, visit with old friends, make some new ones, get inspired by cool pots everywhere… and most likely make a few purchases along the way!

With fifty potters all converging in the St. Croix area, there is sure to be some pottery that strikes your fancy. So many of the potters whose work you see in the galleries, as well as in all of the clay magazines like Ceramics Monthly. This is your chance to meet the artists, covet their work, and quite possibly take something beautiful home with you… including the wonderful clay memories. There are seven studio locations to stop off at. Each of the resident artists invite other potters to their location, setting up tents and displays all over to showcase the pots. It’s always a fun weekend to drive from studio to studio, see their working studios and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the St. Croix River. It’s always Mother’s Day Weekend… so bring along Mom for a fun weekend. I know I will be!!!

Our tour every starts out every year at the studio of Bob Briscoe. His location is incredible as it is surrounded by woods, and overlooks a quaint little pond. In his front yard are several large white wedding tents all filled with pots!!! Bob’s also done a great job of gathering some incredible potters to share his location… including two of my favorites Matt Metz & Suze Lindsay. Over the years, I’ve gathered quite a collection of these three.

We spend a lot of time (and money) at Bob’s location before we head out on the Tour to the other locations… and to see some of your other favorite potters like Steven Hill, Delores Fortuna & Silvie Granatelli. I’ve known Steven & Delores for several years. It’s always great to “play with them” while we’re on the Tour.

Plus this year, there are a few new names on the tour I’m looking forward to seeing like Ernest Miller, Dan Finnegan & Sarah Jaeger. I’m especially intrigued by the crystalline glazes that Ernest Miller uses to create such incredible surfaces on his pots.

Sadly, I’m not one of the “chosen” potters who show at the St. Croix Pottery Tour. I’m not quite in their league. Yet. I’m not “famous” in the pottery world. Yet. But it’s always good to dream right?… and shop in meantime!

My favorite metalsmith Sarah Chapman is going to be back in town this Saturday!
Sure, she might have moved away to Minneapolis, but she’s still making great jewelry… and a new holiday ornament every month! This Saturday 4/13 is her Trunk Show in the Gallery of Lillstreet Art Center on the corner of Montrose & Ravenswood in Chicago. Stop by Saturday between 10:00am-12:00pm to see Sarah and her incredible textured, patina’d & constructed metal pieces! I guarantee you’re going to want your own piece of “Chapman Wear”… or add to your already growing growing collection!

As seen on Colossal.com…
Exploded Flowers is a series of photos by artist Fong Qi Wei that shows a variety of flowers dissected into individual components. Reminiscent of exploding fireworks, it’s fascinating to see the radial footprints each flower makes relative to the size of its actual bloom. The series placed second in the 2012 International Photography Awards. You can see more from the series on Wei’s website.

Last night I hung out with some friends at Lillstreet Art Center before making it upstairs to my studio. Such a fun distraction to have the classrooms downstairs with a lot of great fun & art going on down there. Last night my friend Terry Hogan was once again working on her incredibly intricate pierced porcelain creations. Up until recently, they’ve been on the smaller size. But lately she’s been expanding (literally) and going for some larger, sculptural pieces. Still with that crazy perfection & attention-to-detail.

And how does she do it one might ask? Well, with a crazy amount of creativity & patience!!! But also a pretty cool pile of tools for poking, piercing, pricking and pointilism-ing!

So I just donated to Fine Mess Pottery to help in her quest to reformulate her glazes
for cone 6 soda firing. A great project with hopes of making a safer, greener & cheaper firing alternative. I love that she’s doing the work, and more than willing to share her results on her blog. So we all benefit… especially when her glaze tests work out. And as an added bonus, for my $30 donation, I’m going to receive a bound notebook of all her glaze & slip recipes!!! If you’re looking to donate a different amount, there are several other “thank you gift” levels… from thank you notes, to teabowls, to mugs, to casseroles… or even a cake stand with a cheesecake!!!

Thanks to Emily Murphy Bicking for sharing this glaze-fundraising project!
If you’d like to support her Lori Watts and her glaze reformulation project, click here.
If you want to learn more about Lori and Fine Mess Pottery, click here.

I don’t know much about this… except that I love it. And I want one.
Okay, not just one… but a whole wall. I saw it on Facebook and knew that I had to share.

According to artist Ned Kahn’s website…
A 25-foot tall by 110-foot long, wind-activated artwork that consists of 3960, 9”x 9” squares of aluminum chain maille. These hanging panels of metallic fabric are extremely lightweight and responsive to subtle changes in the wind. The kinetic facade extends inside the building and covers a floor to ceiling wall inside the lobby where it is animated by the ventilation system of the building. The artwork installation was designed in collaboration with Davis Davis Architects in San Diego.

If you want to see the video, and trust me, you do… click on Ned Kahn “Chain Of Ether.”

When faced with a roof full of empty bowls at Lillstreet’s “Empty Bowls Project”…
how do you choose? It’s especially tough when there are already far too many bowls
in my life. Most of them my own. Do I really need another one?! And the answer is
“of course I do.” Especially when you see one that catches your eye… and it’s made
by a friend! So here’s my new empty bowl…

I was pretty sure that it was made by Jay Strommen… remember?… the guy I posted
about a week ago? The one with the really cool wall pieces at the Bridgeport Art Center?!
If you missed that blog post, click here.

All of the clues pointed towards Jay and his partner Gina. The clay looks like Jay’s…
dark brown, gritty, chunky, with a ton of particles in it. The tea bowl shape looks very
Jay-like as well. The stamped “chop” signature looked familiar, but I wasn’t sure.

The clincher was the word LUNAR painted on the bottom in white slip. I remembered
that Gina’s company is “Lunar Media.” it all seemed too coincidental. But I went with
my gut picked this one… knowing that it just had to be from Jay & Gina.

And it was. I contacted Gina and she confirmed that it is indeed a Jay Strommen
original. Jay actually referred to it as one of their “lunar lovelies.” And I agree.
I liked it because it was beautiful… I love it even more now that I know
a friend made it!!!

Sometimes I wonder if anyone even reads this blog.
I my ramblings and photos are being seen by anyone, or if it’s just for me?
But then every once in awhile you get a note, a comment, an email that makes it all
worthwhile. That confirms that someone is out there reading… and caring. And that
maybe in some small way my blog is affecting & inspiring someone out there.

Well, today was one of those days. I received this message through my Facebook page.
It’s from a potter named Sam that checked in with me on my blog a few years ago.
Over the years, she’s posted a few comments now & again. It’s so great to see where her
work has gone. How much she’s progressed. How you can see her joy & confidence. And
that somewhere in there are a few “inspirations” from me. Or at least I’d like to think so…

So here’s her Facebook message regarding her bowl making endeavors.
Apparently she’s involved in an “Empty Bowls” project as well. And she’s been busy
making bowls for the annual event.

“You inspired me two years ago when I began this bowl making journey. Now I’m
up to three hundred bowls each year as my style has become so popular that more
and more people want one. They have actually had to turn people away this year
because they can only seat 300. I’m also the local poster child for our bowls event too.
Have a great year Gary!”

Love the stamping. The slip trailing. The split rim. The detailing. You know
how I love it when people go “a bit over the top”… too much is never too much!

Thank you Sam for sharing. Your bowls are beautiful…
and I LOVE that your doing what you love to do. It shows. And for sharing
your love with others. Especially those 300 people who will get one of your bowls!