There were so many different styles & techniques displayed on the Minnesota Pottery Tour. So much eye-candy & visual inspiration. Taken out of context though, how many of these ceramic artists can you name based on a snapshot of their decorative technique!?

Artists names will be revealed some time next week!!!
Answers are now posted in RED as of 5/29/14.

#1 : Shoko Teruyama

#2 : Steven Hill

#3 : Andy Balmer

#4 : Bill Gossman

#5 : Dan Finnegan

#6 : Delores Fortuna

#7 : Ellen Shankin

#8 : Richard Vincent

#9 : George Lowe

#10 : Jeff Oestreich

#11 : Jo Severson

#12 : Jenny Mendes

#13 : Suze Lindsay

#14 : Steven Young Lee

#15 : Silvie Granatelli

#16 : Sandra Byers

#17 : Kent McLaughlin

#18 : Karin Kraemer

#19 : Robert Briscoe

#20 : Mark Shapiro

#21 : Mary Roettger

#22 : Richard Hensley

#23 : Simon Levin

#24 : Matthew Metz

#25 : Craig Edwards

#26 : Sarah Jaeger

#27 : Steven Hill

#28 : Sam Taylor

#29 : Steven Young Lee

#30 : Donna Polseno

#31 : Robert Briscoe

#32 : Karin Kraemer

#33 : Ani Kasten

#34 : George Lowe

#35 : Mary Barringer

#36 : Matthew Metz

#37 : Ernest Miller

#38 : Steven Hill

#39 : Naomi Dalglish

#40 : Steven Young Lee

#41 : Mary Barringer

#42 : Winthrop Byers

So many pots… so little time… and now far less cash in my wallet!!!
So much fun touring and seeing all of those great pots. Great to chat with all of the artists… and to add a “few” pieces to my already too huge pottery collection!

Starting with a new mug by Matthew Metz. And a slightly new style with a dark clay body dipped in a light slip and then carved with his signature sgraffito style. I especially loved the “finger prints” on the bottom of the cup where he held it to dip into the slip.

I also added a Bob Briscoe mug to my “mug collection”… and a new Bob Briscoe lidded jar… for M&M’s or Hershey’s Kisses?!!!

At our second stop, we met up with Steven Young Lee… a former teacher of mine. Of course I had to add another mug of his to my collection. I have quite a few “vintage” Steve Lee pieces. And now I have some of his new blue & white style. Unfortunately, I couldn’t decide… so I had to get a couple!!!

Blue & white… and a stark contrast with a carved monochromatic tea bowl.

On Day Two, we started from the beginning and did the Tour all over again! We started at Bob Briscoe’s again… and he had unloaded another kiln overnight. So he was restocked with a few pieces. Including these two bowls that “had” to come home with me… to join the other four bowls already in my kitchen cabinet.

 

I also picked up a mug by George Lowe… I loved the texture and the rusty, crusty finish!

One of our last stops on Saturday was The Rogue Potters. I picked up a couple pieces, including a mug by Randal Anderson and a plate by Mark Johnson.

We started out at the studio of Robert Briscoe. Always our first destination. So many great artists all in one location. It’s also the furthest north… and then we work our way down from there. There are seven studio locations on the St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour… showing 51 artists along the way. It’s a wonderful day of pottery fun with friends, artists & pots!!!

So many great potters… so much great pottery… which only makes me dream…
“Wouldn’t it be GREAT to be one of the invited guest artists of the Minnesota Pottery Tour?”
Of all the locations, Bob Briscoe’s would be my dream location to join the group!!!
The array of work there is wonderful. Closest to my style and yet completely different.
Plus the artists there are all so nice… I would love to “play” with them for a full weekend!
Some day… dare to dream… maybe we need to start a grassroots, write-in campaign???

Bob Briscoe pots… so many everywhere… so many that I would love to take home with me!

Fun to see so many pots… and so many people admiring them. Like this pair admiring the work of Suze Lindsay. It’s a great weekend for potters everywhere… promoting the “culture” of handmade wares by ceramic artists from around the country.

And a welcome “surprise” from Matt Metz with a slight change in his signature style… dark clay with a quick slip-dip before his trademark sgraffito technique.

One of my favorites at the first stop… ceramic banana salt & pepper shakers
by Kent McLaughlin!!!

So many pots… so many textures… so many great ceramic artists in such close proximity.

Fun to get a glimpse behind the tent of my friend & potter Steven Hill… and his box of overstock mugs!!! Especially good to see that there are so many “holes” in the box from those that have already sold!!!

Throughout the day, it was so nice to see so many of the vase hosting beautiful flowers – fulfilling the “destiny” of the vase and its ultimate purpose!

One of the most “shocking & amusing” sights during Day One of the Pottery Tour?… discuss.

Stop #2 on the Minnesota Pottery Tour.
Already did some damage $$$ with Bob Briscoe & Matt Metz.
Now we’re moving on to Steven Young Lee… one of my former teachers!!!

It’s been a crazy busy week… glazing, wadding, loading, firing, cooling, Dover, flying home yesterday… and teaching class last night!!! Tonight I’ll be scraping shelves, cleaning the kiln & sweeping up. Here’s a couple quick shots of my recent soda kiln. More photos & stories to come… but right now, I’ve got to get my act together before I head out on the road!!!

I met a coworker of my sister a few years back.
They’re both teachers at the same school.
He was a novice potter and became enchanted by my pottery.
He was a fan, and a great friend to my sister.

Unfortunately, he recently passed away from a chronic heart condition. My sister donated a vase from her own “Gary Collection” flowers to be presented at the memorial service. She knew that he would be looking down admiring, and his family will be able to keep the vase as a keepsake for years to come. Such a sincere, loving & thoughtful memento.

A beautiful friendship… A beautiful thought… A beautiful life.

Tonight we had a very special guest who joined us for class. My teaching assistant Susan brought a friend of hers who is visiting from Sweden. They met a few months back when they both attended a workshop at La Meridiana in Italy. It was so much fun to have her in class to share stories, pottery experiences… and she even brought a bowl all the way from Sweden for the bowl exchange!!!

Saga Johnsson hung out with us for the night sharing her path, meeting my students, touring my studio & Lillstreet Art Center. At one point (after cheesecake) she sat down at the wheel to throw a couple quick bowls. It’s always so much fun to watch other people throwing. It’s mesmerizing for me every time!

Later, Saga stepped aside and shared some more of her story with images from home, her studio and her body of work. She showed off her pottery she “sells” for a living, the pieces she plays with to express herself, her kids, her chickens, her workshop photos at La Meridiana, and so much more. Ahhh… the beauty of a tablet packed full of photos!!!

Here’s a quick excerpt from her Etsy site…

I live and work full-time as a ceramic artist/ studio potter in the beautiful countryside of Österlen, SkÃ¥ne in Sweden. I have a studio and a shop next to my house where I also run a small Bed & Breakfast. I started out doing art (painting, drawings and sculptures) 19 years ago… (time does fly by when your having fun! ) The last few (8) years my main focus has been mainly focused on ceramic. I love the way clay challenges me and always let me discover new and exciting things about my material and about my self.

And I loved that Saga was so willing to share. She instantly “fit in” and became part of my class for the night. She has such a great energy about her. I had a great time hanging with her. Maybe I need to plan a little vacation to Sweden?… I hear there’s a great Bed & Breakfast there???… with wheels!!!

Here’s a quick peek at Saga’s stunning work. She does a lot of work with hand-drawn illustrations she turns into decals and applies to her pots.

And here’s a little trick she shared with us…
Saga enjoys placing her decals so they are cropped off the edge forcing the user to “visualize” the rest of the image. Not one to “waste” the cropped off portion of the illustration decal… the other half goes on the other side of the cup!!! Brilliant!!!

For more of Saga Johnsson’s work, click here for her website.
Or click here to follow Saga Keramik on Facebook.

Register for my wheelthrowing class quickly and save some money!!!

Yep, I will once again be teaching my Beginning & Advanced Beginning Wheelthrowing next session at Lillstreet Art Center. My class is on Tuesday nights from 7:00pm-10:00pm. It’s pretty much for “beginners” of all levels. Whether you’ve thrown on a wheel before or not… whether you’ve ever touched clay before or not… or just like to play in the mud!

Registration is already open – and my class is filling up fast! Don’t miss out!!!
Click here for online registration.

After a very “sweet” breakfast with Taylor and the rest of my family, I decided to go into the studio to take advantage of my “syrup-sugar high.” I was a little unfocused on what to start with… so you know that when that happens I pretty much always make MUGS!!! So I started with a dozen – and went on from there!

After getting some great response & comments about the fluted bowl I made from my class demo, I decided I might want to capitalize on that and make more!!!

I love how the shaped bowls line up and make a great pattern as a group. The negative space between the bowls are almost as much fun as the bowls themselves?!!!

So I went back into the studio today hoping to find that my lightbulbs had been replaced.
Sadly, not so much. So it was another day of working “in the dark” with my little task lights. Ike did stop by to check on the bulbs, and he found out that they’re currently out of replacements. So he needs to order more… and I need to wait. Great… just great.

Twenty balls of clay… twenty berry bowl plates coming soon.

Almost done… only one more to go!
And finding that throwing in the dark is somehow more relaxing. Who knew???

Under cover of darkness, I finished throwing the small plates.

I putzed around for awhile, and then realized that that they were drying up pretty quickly. So I decided to do some decorative fluting on the edges before I wrapped them up for the night.