Tonight I had dinner with “long-lost-potter” Emily Murphy!
Over the past year, she purchased a home in Minneapolis, made tons of renovations,
packed up “her Chicago life,” cleaned out her studio at Lillstreet, moved north…
and seemingly disappeared from the pottery world?!

No new pots… no new blog posts… gone missing…

Well… it’s good to know that she’s back in action… almost.
She’s all moved into her renovated home – and is now focusing on building her
studio space. Based on a lot of dreams & lessons learned from previous studio spaces!
If you’re interested, there’s a lot of great information & pictures of her progress
& decisions on her blog – which she has finally updated and gotten back in action!!!
Check out her progress at www.PotteryBlog.com.

So soon enough, she’ll be back in production and I can’t wait to see her new work.
She said that she’s still without a kiln, hoping to build a new soda kiln at some point.
But there’s a good chance she’ll be doing new work in her electric kiln in the meantime.

It was great to see Emily again… after far too long of an absence!
Both here in Chicago… as well as on her blog!

So as I was running out to grab some dinner tonight, I ran into my friend
& fellow studio mate Katie Biderbost. She mentioned that she reads my blog frequently –
and was surprised that I update it so frequently. I told her that there’s nothing that bugs
me more than a blog that hasn’t been updated for months… or years!!! And then I realized…
I’ve never featured Katie as one of My Talented Friends… so here goes…

I’ve known Katie for many years… practically my entire pottery career!!!
Katie has been involved at Lillstreet Art Center for many years, both as a teacher
and studio member. She has come & gone, but her focus has always remained strong.
Her grad-school-hiatus took her down to Indiana… but she luckily returned to Lillstreet.
Katie now works in Lake Forest, Illinois running a clay program up there. Yet she returns
to Lillstreet for some quiet studio time away from her workplace!

Katie’s work has evolved over the years, and she has several mugs in my “mug collection.”
During the Lillstreet Holiday Opening, I treated myself to a set of Katie’s plates…
I’ve been coveting them for awhile and finally decided that they had to be mine.
Her current body of work is painstakingly decorated with slip to create an intricate
“woven” pattern that almost looks as though it were knit. The glaze is a beautiful teal
blue that is accentuated in the soda kiln to create and incredible depth & range of color.

Not only did I get the plates… I also got another mug for “the collection”!!!
Merry Christmas to me!!!

Another wonderful show… always fun since I’m not an exhibitor!!!
It takes the pressure off… no pottery to shlep… no shelves to set up…
Instead I get to hang out and help my friend & metalsmith Sarah Chapman in her booth.
I get to chat with her customers. Sell people on her wonderful work. And enjoy the
excitement on people’s faces when they decide to buy their first piece of Chapman-wear!

The One-Of-A-Kind Show is a big deal… four days, long hours, hundreds of booths!
And luckily, thousands of shoppers! The show is held annually here in Chicago at the
Merchandise Mart. It fill the entire 8th floor with artists from all over the country.
Sarah Chapman being the best metalsmith there… at least she gets my vote!

So not only did I get to help out my friend Sarah, but I also got a chance to see some
other artist friends – and make a few new ones!

Rebecca Zemans – Another great metalsmith with a lot of great silver & stones!
She’s another Lillstreet studio artist – and she’s adorable. Always fun, always busy.
Every time I tried to stop by and chat… she was busy talking with customers!
Good for her, bad for me…  at least we’ll get to play back at the studios!

Melissa Banks – Rapt In Maille – Melissa is a rock star in the chain maille world.
I have quite a collection of her stainless steel work. She makes incredible designs
by weaving together assorted sizes & styles of simple, round jump rings.

Pflipsen Olivova Studios – We met this great couple last year… and purchased a few
of their incredible Christmas ornaments. I was excited to see that Steve & Katia
of River Falls, Wisconsin were back again. I had to add to my collection. He blows
the glass and she does the metal work. Together, they make wonderful work. And since
their ornaments are too nice to pack away after Christmas, my ever-expanding collection
has now taken up residence on the chandelier in my dining room! And a special thanks
to Sarah… for helping to “feed” my ornament addiction!!!

Kevin Lahvic – Kevin’s paintings are guaranteed to make you smile. He has a wonderful
sense of color blended with a fantastic sense of whimsy. And I LOVE whimsy!!!
Over the past two years, I have collected a few of his small “portraits” which make me
smile every morning as they’re staring back at me from the wall right next to my closet.

Marzena Gabrel – I didn’t meet Marzena “officially” until the end of the show. But once
I stopped in her booth to admire her fiber work, we quickly recognized each other from
“somewhere” on the art fair circuit. We couldn’t figure out where… but I could easily
figure out that she’s a wonderful person who makes beautiful layered & textured
fiber pieces. Great depth & color in her felted pieces.

Scot Schmidt – Scot makes sculptures in limestone resin… similar to tiles, but each one
is handcarved. My parents have seen his work at a number of art fairs, and this time finally
decided to purchase some of his work. They’ve been trying to fill a large wall space in their
living room – and Scot’s work will soon fill the bill. After my parents made their purchase on
Saturday, Scot and I had a chance to talk about them and their “shopping style” on Sunday.

Thank You to everyone who made it out this weekend to make
“My Home For The Holidays” Home Show 2009 another huge success!

It was great to see so many familiar faces all enjoying some holiday cheer.
Art fair friends & fans. Studio friends. Neighborhood friends. Work friends.
It’s always a strange mix – all of my social “worlds” colliding in one place!
But I love it – and they all came over to kickoff their holidays in style!

My place was decked out in all its festive glory… with pottery in every room!
My favorite part?… we started out the weekend with over a hundred mugs!!!
You know they’re my favorite. Favorite to make. Favorite to use.

Thank you again to everyone who stopped by. Whether for a little holiday
shopping or just to hang out for awhile with a cup of hot apple cider!
It was great to see everyone. Let the holiday shopping season begin…
and Happy Holidays to everyone.

Another entry in my seemingly never-ending list of Talented Friends!!!
I met Amy a couple years ago on the summer art fair circuit. Her work is stunning
and beautiful in its own right… but it’s her personality, energy & spirit that
really makes her special. She’s a shining star at every art fair.

Her work is very clever. Everything has a hinge worked into it… or two.. or three…
Some of them are obvious. Some of them need a little closer look to figure out.
She has a wonderful sense of color & design, and uses a lot of wonderful stones
in her finely polished silver & gold metal work.

Over the past few fairs, we’ve become very friendly – sharing stories, jokes, cookies
and more. At our most recent fair, we shared our chocolate chip cookies on Saturday…
and she came back on Sunday with a tray of Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
with Chocolate Chips to share! See why we get along so well?

And oh, but wait there’s more… NEW THIS SEASON at the Barrington Art Fair…
Amy had these really groovy pieces that had an incredible semi-precious “stone”
with incredible chatoyancy!!! Big word, huh? That’s this really cool “shimmer” effect
of reflected light caused by aligned inclusions… kind of like the sheen on some great silk.
The luminous streak of reflected light is always perpendicular to the direction of the fibers.
Kinda technical… but trust me, it’s cool. Think tiger’s eye, think moonstone… and more!
Anyway… so after a lot of ooh-ing & aahh-ing… she finally told us it wasn’t even a stone!
It was indeed “semi-precious”… but it was slice of a vintage bowling bowl!!! Get out.
And with that… I needed one! So she’s making a “Bowleragate” necklace just for me!!!
I love having Talented Friends!!!

So this past weekend was my last outdoor art fair of the season!
Art In The Barn in Barrington is always a fun show. Well organized. Festive. Fun.
The weather wasn’t all that great on Saturday, but it was much better on Sunday.
Coincidentally, customer attendance wasn’t all that great on Saturday either.
Luckily there were more people out shopping on Sunday. For those of you who
stopped by, it was great to see you as always!

This weekend is typically my “official” kick-off of Fall. I’m one of those who grasps
on to summer as long as possible… not willing to acknowledge that summer may
be ending! So even though Fall is actually my favorite season, I have trouble letting go
of summer. But once I do… I’m “all in” for Fall. And this weekend at Art In The Barn
generally does it for me. The cool, crisp weather. The bales of hay. The mums.
The pumpkins. The gourds. So now it’s fall… and I’m ready!!!

Back to the art fair…
As if selling pots wasn’t enough fun… it’s also seeing my customers love a pot.
I thoroughly enjoy seeing someone pick up a pot to see it better and then start feeling
the textures… which suddenly turns into caressing… and sometimes even purring!
I love seeing my customers find a new piece. Seeing a new texture.  Admiring a glaze.
Over the years I have benefited from some wonderful customers who have become
good friends over the years. It’s always good to see them just to have a laugh or two!

Another benefit is the group of friends I’ve made over the years on the art fair circuit.
It’s great to see them again from fair to fair… to share stories… to share work ideas.
And this year was no different… with just a few of My Talented Friends…

Molly Bitters
One of my favorite metalsmiths and a great booth neighbor! And congratulations
to Molly for winning the “Best of Jewelry” award this weekend. And even better…
we traded work and I got this beautiful intaglio pendant. And I love it!!!
Check out more of Molly’s work at www.macabistudios.com

Cheryl Holz
Cheryl has this great ability to combine colors & textures on a canvas.
Suggestive of nature, maps, legends, scrapbooks and other recognizable
forms, her paintings are layers of brilliance in color. And I’m proud to have
one of her prints hanging in my bedroom… another great art fair trade!
Check out more of Cheryl’s work at www.CherylHolz.com

Brad Pogatetz
I had the pleasure of meeting Brad last year as he was my booth neighbor.
This year his booth was in another building with much better lighting & wall space
to display his incredible photography. Brad’s images are spectacular as they focus
on the beauty of run down buildings, rust & deterioration… frequently juxtaposed
with natural elements or the simple geometry of it all. You know how I love rust!!!
Check out more of Brad’s work at www.BradPogatetz.com

Amy Taylor
Amy is known for making beautiful hinged jewelry. She makes beautiful silver pieces
with beautiful stones and other things. I’ve been a fan of Amy’s work for a few years…
as well as her energy, enthusiasm and passion. This weekend I was admiring her work
when she showed me a new piece with this incredible “stone” inside it. It was beautiful.
Shades of orange & red, pearlescent, lots of depth, lots of chatoyancy. But then she
told me it wasn’t a stone… but instead, a piece of a bowling ball. Get out!!! Too cool.
So, by the end of the fair, we had worked out a deal and she’s making me a custom
bowling ball necklace! I can’t wait to see it…
Check out more of Amy’s work at www.amytaylorjewelry.com

Anne Gilna
I first met Anne as my neighbor at the Hinsdale Art Fair. She does beautiful
watercolor paintings – a lot of birds, flowers and other scenes from nature.
Her images are colorful & clean, generally on a simple white background.
We liked them so much, that my parents have purchased a few of her pieces!
Check out more of Anne’s work at www.ArtByAnneGilna.com

Dorothy Hughes
One of the sweetest ladies you’ll ever meet, Dorothy is a great artist and supporter
of other artists. I’ve known Dorothy for many years since my early years at Lillstreet
Art Center.  Known in many of the Chicago “art circles,” Dorothy has always been
very positive & supportive of my work. She’s the nicest…
Check out more of Dorothy’s work at www.DorothyHughes.com

So… “Art In The Barn” had a special category of artist this year: The Emerging Artist!
Okay, so there was only one artist in that category… and he was in the booth next
to mine – we’ll just call in Booth E-3.5. There he was cranking out the work…
competing for the same dollar I was. Oh the quandry… to but some more pottery?…
or but a piece of original art by this new, young, fresh Emerging Artist?

My long-time friend and able-bodied Art Fair Assistant, Nancy, brought her
five year old son Jimmy with on Saturday to help out at the fair. In his fluorescent green
soccer uniform, he was a beacon for all to see. While there, he started coloring and
was “discovered” by one of the other artists down the way! Right on the spot, the artist
“commissioned” Jimmy for an original crayon drawing! So he drew the picture
and made his first sale. The artist proudly posted Jimmy’s artwork in his booth for the
remainder of the art fair.

Meanwhile, not to let a good thing go, Jimmy decided that if he drew more,
he would sell more. And he did. Quite the entrepreneur, Jimmy posted his artwork,
made signage to promote his body of work, hawked his product like the best of
carnival barkers… and earned himself a whopping $3.75 !!! Quite a bonus for a young
artist such as Jimmy. I think he has quite the future… great… more competition!!!

Once again, Art In The Barn is right around the corner…
I will be in the same booth space as usual. One of the perks of being in the same booth
space is I get to be next to my metalsmith friend Molly Bitters again! She makes these
incredible pieces that combine metal work, with etched copper and hand-dyed &
pressed leather. Part of what makes them so cool, is that she not only etches the
patterns, and presses the leather to create the leather, but then combines pieces
of both “processes” into one piece!!! Love it.

In addition to these great “intaglio” pieces, she also makes a line of silver work with
animals, trees, rain clouds and more – with colorful leather backgrounds. She also
makes a line of fire-polished copper combined with leather. I’m definitely looking
forward to spending the weekend in the booth next to her –
and adding more of her beautiful work to my collection!!!

I’m sure we’ll be sharing many laughs, cookies, customers and stories over the weekend.
Check out more of her work on her website -  www.macabistudios.com

Over the years I have kept in touch with my very first “art fair friends.”
Rosene & Gerry were the “lucky” folks who were placed across the aisle from me
at my very first art fair (and I use that term loosely…) out in Sandwich, Illinois.
They were incredibly encouraging & supportive… and even tough they’ve
retired from the “art fair circuit”… they are still incredibly encouraging!

Over the years, they have “accumulated” quite a collection of my work.
Some purchased, some gifted, some traded, some made just for them!!!
One such piece is a special Green Man mask that I made for Gerry. He had
dropped “hints” several times… and I finally surprised him with it as a
special surprise Christmas gift.

So I just got a couple photos from them… which made me laugh…
of their  “playful” little grandchildren playing in the garden…

Last night was an “awesome” evening… especially if you’re six years old!
I went to see one of the final performance’s of this summer’s Cirque Shanghai
on Navy Pier. And with a generous friend like Kim, I was able to treat my friends
Kel & Kelly and their large clan of kids to a night under the Big Top. When
your friends and their kids make up a group of thirteen… they don’t get many
chances to see great events like this!

All in all it was pretty great… not only did we see an fantastic show… and we got
to spend the night with friends… AND we got to eat Garrett’s Popcorn (new on Navy Pier)…
but I also got the pleasure of sitting next to Anderson. He’s a very energetic
six year old – who sat on the edge of his seat through the entire show screaming
“Awesome” every time something cool would happen. Which to a giddy 6 year old,
was practically every 30 seconds!

He was so excited that he even passed on the Garrett’s Popcorn….
“Chicago Mix” : cheese popcorn & caramel popcorn combined! And for those of you
who know the addictive nature of Garrett’s Popcorn, you’ll understand
just what he was passing on!!!   MY fingers are still stained orange from the cheese!!!

So the show must have been pretty darn good! And what a great experience
for the kids. We had great seats (thanks to my friend Kim), the kids got complimentary
souvenirs (again, thanks again to my friend Kim), plus they had a chance to meet
the performers and get autographs after the show! And oh, but wait there’s more…
choreographed fireworks at the end of Navy Pier to cap off the evening!
A big night for the kids from Chenoa!!! According to Andy, it was “AWESOME !!!”

It was no Cirque du Soleil, but still…