During our camp yesterday, one of our campers decided to challenge Michelle
to a metal cutting contest. Really?! Did he not realize that Michelle is a professional?
That this what she does for a living? And that he’s only been cutting metal for a
couple hours?! Really?! Ya’ gotta give him props his bravado though…

Anyway, the challenge was that I would draw a difficult shape for them each to cut
out of copper. First one to complete the challenge would be the winner. The other one,
well… the LOSER! So they each had the design attached to their metal & ready to start…
on your marks… get set… go!

And before he even knew what was happening… Michelle was already done!

So the prize?!… for the rest of us?… We had all decided that the “loser” would have to bring
chocolate chip cookies for the rest of us! Today we all ate cookies. A fun contest…
and fun cookies! I’m just glad he didn’t challenge me!!!

As our week continues, my summer campers have moved on to FORGING!
Or at least some quick metalsmithing while making their knives, forks & spoons!
So while I was leading-the-charge for the first couple days of clay, my co-teacher
Michelle took the lead for the metalsmithing portion. She’s the pro. Not me.
I know just enough about metals to be dangerous!

Once Michelle had finished her demo, the kids set off on cutting out their own pieces.
Some of them cruised right through it. Others struggled. Some required laser focus…

Once they finished cutting out their shapes, they need to file the edges to remove any burs
or sharpness. We keep trying to tell the kids that their pieces need to be smooth so that they
don’t cut their mouths from eating off their own sharp-edged cutlery!!! Personally,
I’d rather be cutting metal… filing is not my favorite part of the project either!

Once cut & filed, Michelle did a demo on stamping, chasing & texturing. I like this part
because it’s texture & design. The kids love this part… lots of HAMMERING!!!

Tomorrow we finish the projects, and our clay pieces come out of the kiln!
We’ll put everything together and have a great potluck lunch to celebrate!

It’s another week of summer camp… another round of “Fire, Forge & Feast.”
This is the first summer that we’ve offered two sessions of this summer camp.
It’s fun to have another batch of kids making their clay dinnerware sets.
Yesterday & today they came up with their themes, then made ceramic plates,
bowls, cups and handles out of terra cotta. We finished today with each of them
painting their work with Lillstreet‘s new underglaze/glaze combo!

Some of our themes this week?… “Alice In Wonderland,” zombies, flowers, “Harry Potter,”
Alaska, trees, Switzerland, “Doctor Who,” video games, and… my “least” favorite?…
mathematics! Yes, one of them is actually basing his entire set on mathematics!
I’m an artist… I don’t do math!

So our menagerie fills the table! Luckily, all of the animals seemed to get along overnight.
Each of them ready to go home with the kids to take up residence in their new digs.
It’s always fun to see the looks on the parents’ faces when they come to pick up their kids
and suddenly see them walk out of the building carrying a huge animal! Hysterical…

Each animal cuter than the next… some more animated than others, each quite adorable!
Including a fennec fox, alligator, dachsund, great dane, sting ray, anemone, caiman, fox,
elephant and a wonderful flamingo striking a statuesque pose!

Maybe I forgot to tell the kids that we’re painting the animals… not their hands???

So today the kids were finishing up their Wild Things sculptures! The plaster gauze is dry
and they animals were really “coming to life” as they were painted with acrylic paints.

I especially LOVE when some of the sculptures take on a life of their own and get larger &
larger… and eventually cover most of the table. Who am I to tell them to to limit their project?!
Definitely not me… instead, I encourage it!!!

Sometimes it’s just amazing to see what my campers can come up with some simple
art supplies. Today my “Wild Things” campers continued their animal projects by
making sculptures of their favorite animals. We started with sketches of their animals
& habitats. We then created an armature out of wire hangers, newspaper & masking tape.
Once they had “filled out” the wire frame and added some characteristic details, they
began to cover the armature with plaster gauze. Kinda like paper mache, but a lot easier,
quicker & stronger! By the end of the day their animals were coming along quite nicely.
Tomorrow we continue to add details, as well as paint them in full color to bring them to life!

Part One of tonight’s class demo was about making bowls on purpose…
not a cylinder gone bad. Part Two was how to quickly turn 10 “matching” bowls
into 10 “unique” bowls with just a few quick tricks!

So I did the basic bowl demo to show my students how to make a bowl “the right way.”
Then, as they went back to their wheels to make their own bowls, I quickly threw nine more
basic bowls. We regrouped for Part Two where I showed them fluting, flaring, slipping,
swirling, chattering and other fun tricks! My main goal for the night is to get them over the
fear of playing with their clay. To show them that you can push it further, twist it, bend it,
shape it. That each piece doesn’t have to be so precious. That if you let yourself try a few
new things you might just make something special along the way. So go ahead…
play with your clay!!!

After the two-part bowl demo, we also did some slip painting, throwing off the hump,
throwing spouts and stamp making. It was a very busy class tonight. I kinda felt like
I had some making-up to do after missing the last two classes due to my extended
FIREFLY trip to Dover?!

Today was an adventure at Lincoln Park Zoo!
Yep, me and my fourteen “Wild Things” summer camp kids traipsing around
Lincoln Park Zoo! Visiting the animals, getting inspiration for the rest of the week’s
animal themed projects. Along the way, we stopped at the patio for lunch and some
watercolor painting. Loving seeing how focused the kids get once they start painting!

But after a long day at the Zoo, with a lot of walking around, the kids favorite spot
is always the Children’s Zoo. Not for the little animals, but for the cool fountain that
shoots streams of water out of the sidewalk. Needless to say, the kids had a splashing
good time… and went back to Lillstreet a little wetter than before!

Today it was back to Summer Camp… “Wild Things.”
So it’s a week all about animal-themed projects. And let me just say, my group
of campers this week is very “energetic.” Oh wait, it’s animal-themed…
maybe “squirrelly” is a better choice of words?!

So the fun of “Fire, Forge & Feast” continues… with another day of metals fun!
The kids have been working so hard, keeping focused on their projects, and trying
to get everything finished. They’re picking patterns, adding textures and making
some extra pieces to add to their dinnerware sets!