It’s always so exciting to see what happened while the kiln was firing.
You glaze them and imagine one thing… sometimes they work, sometimes
they don’t, and sometimes… it’s just a wonderful surprise!!!

Load Friday. Fire Saturday. Cool Sunday. Unload Monday. Four days of fun!!!
Tonight I unloaded my kiln, packed it all up, cleaned & scraped the shelves and
shlepped it all home. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have time to actually admire my new pieces?!

And then, somewhere in the middle of the kiln, there were some other beautiful things
happening in there… especially with some newer, bright pops of color!

So I finally finished glazing & wadding my pieces. Exhausted. Relieved.
Once they’re all done, the go onto my rolling studio cart (that my Dad made for me),
and we all go downstairs on the freight elevator. A little rickety, but still much
better than carrying everything by hand down to the first floor!

And yes, that is masking tape stretched across each shelf acting as a “safety belt” to keep
the pots from hopping off the shelves as they jiggle down the hall & elevator.

Take the tape off, and I’m ready to start loading. The back stack is always the quickest.
I think it’s the fact that it’s one shelf, no seam and you have a whole cart of possible pieces.
When you get to the front, it’s two shelves with a seam between shelves to contend with…
and the selection of pieces left on the cart is beginning to dwindle. So it’s all a big game
trying to get everything in, packed well, but not too crowded, but crowded enough to get
my money’s worth! Too loose and everything doesn’t make it in. Pack it too tight and
the soda atmosphere doesn’t have any room to travel around the kiln –
and you end up with some dry pockets!

So here’s a glimpse of the back stack…. with tall, textured slab vases all the way to the top!

And here’s the completed front stack. Complete with cone packs… which I have
a tendency to forget until it’s too late and I’ve already started bricking the door.

Now that it;s all packed, the front door is bricked into place and it’s good for the night.

When you make a big batch of mugs…
at some point, you’ve got to glaze a big batch of mugs!

Same mugs… just a different, possibly cooler perspective…

Last night I had a fantastic “they’re-moving-farewell” dinner at Rose Angeli’s
with Sarah & Julie. And they passed along large two bottles from Emily Murphy
that they received when she moved to Minneapolis. So it only seemed fitting
that their two bottles joined the one I got from Emily at the same time!
So now I have a beautiful trifecta of Emily’s bottles on my back porch!

Okay, so lets back it up a bit… here’s the story about my HGTV Journey.
From the very beginning when they contacted me… up to tonight’s big HGTV debut!

It all started with a quick e-mail from the show Producer Nicole. Apparently, the show’s
host, Meg Caswell, likes to feature a local Chicago artist in most of her HGTV room
renovations. After some Internet searching, she landed on my blog. They contacted
me and asked if I might be interested in taking on the project. They were looking for a
Chicago ceramic to help them by making custom, handmade kitchen cabinet knobs
for an upcoming kitchen remodeling episode.

Of course, my first response was “YES – of course!!!”
But then my second thought was about how much I dislike special orders & commissions.
I debated for about 30 seconds and then dove right in!

I sent Nicole back an e-mail with some questions trying to nail down specifics. My
biggest concern was the tight turn-around time to the filming date & the install deadline.
Making handmade kitchen cabinet hardware is not a quick process. No clay piece is.
It not only takes time to actually form the pieces, but more time to dry, fire, stain,
fire again and attach the hardware pieces. I wanted to make sure I would be able meet
their deadlines before I accepted the challenge. Once I committed to Nicole…
the excitement kicked in!

With a couple e-mails back and forth, and some some input from Meg along the way,
Nicole and I pretty much nailed down what we were going to make… and Meg agreed!
They sent me the “style board” for the project which show the basic “vibe” or “mood”
of the new room design.

She explained “he” is Greek, and”she” is African-American. That there were using a lot of
Mediterranean inspired colors and textures, and they thought that the shapes and textures
of my Relic Rattles might give it a bit more of a Contemporary Tribal look.

As the filming day got closer, my studio got cleaner!
The night before, I cleaned my studio cleaner than it ever has been. Staging everything for
filming – facing everything, spacing everything, trying to make everything look good for TV.

It was an early morning when the filming day finally came round. And hot.
Filming was one of those surprisingly hot & steamy March days in Chicago. So early in the
year that no one had turned the air conditioning on yet. It wasn’t too bad until they turned
on all of those studio light in my tiny little space! Then it got really sweaty. And I was
positive that I was sweating right through my shirt!

So we filmed in my studio for a couple hours. Meg and I worked together to determine
what shapes & patterns we were making for the kitchen. Then it was my chance to get her
dirty and play in the clay. I showed her how I was going to make them, and she gave it at try.
I think she realized that it’s not quite as easy as she thought.

We also filmed some other footage of me working during different stages of the process.
It was funny to watch them filming in my small little studio. Trying to move around with
all of their cameras, lighting, crew, lighting, etc. And to be on the other side of the camera
with a wireless microphone recording every word… and the makeup artist right there
trying to make us look our best – and like we weren’t sweating it all off immediately!

The kitchen cabinet hardware we decided upon was a variation of the shapes I make
as Relic Rattles. They stared as textured little pods just for fun. You know how much
I love kiln-filler! So these silly, little “pods” have now taken on many different shapes
& forms… and now… they’ve become TV Stars too!!!

And now for the process…
To make the forms, I start with thin slabs of clay that I pull by hand. No slab roller.
No rolling pin. Just my hands, gravity and inertia. When I get the clay to a good thickness,
I press in the textures. The shapes are then cut out and cleaned up a bit. With a lot of
scoring & slipping, I form the shapes and keep the air trapped inside. Sometimes the “pods”
seem to flatten out a bit… so I literally “blow them up” like a balloon to keep them puffed up.
After it’s sealed, I poke a small hole with my needle tool, put it up to my lips and blow into
the clay. You can feel the “bulging” happen, then I press it together with my lips to trap
the air inside. Some last minute detailing on the edges… and Stage One is done. Oh yeah…
did I mention that you need to poke a tiny little hole somewhere so it doesn’t “explode”
as it shrinks during the drying process?

Once the pieces were almost dry, I made holes through one side where the hardware
was going to be added later. I had to guess how big to make the hole so that the shrinkage
rate wouldn’t make it too small for the hardware. Once they were punched, it was time
to dry. And then the first bisque kiln firing to cone 06.

Once bisqued, I painted them all with a coat of watered down iron oxide.

Once they were all covered, I gently wiped off the top surface with a damp sponge.
The goal is to clean off the top surface, but still leave good amount inside each of the stamped
impressions. The fun part is if you wipe too much out, you can always add some more
back in and do it again.

After wiping them all down, they were ready for the second firing – this time to cone 10.
Which is approximately 2350 degrees in a gas reduction kiln.

The high temperature firing makes them incredibly hard and vitrified. The clay takes on
a much darker color, and the remaining iron oxide was gives a nice warm hue on the surface
and a darker contrast line in the grooves. Luckily, I guessed well with the hole diameter
and the size is perfect even after two rounds of shinkage in the firings.

Then I attached the knob hardware to each piece. I epoxyed the metal hardware into place
through the back and attaching to the backside of the front piece. Once that layer of epoxy
had dried, I filled it in with a few more layers to make sire it was quite strong.

So that’s that. The work was done. The pieces fired. The hardware attached.
The show Producer stopped by my studio to pick them up so they could install them.
Mission accomplished. Now the waiting game to find out when it will air on TV.

And then… oh, but wait there’s more…

As if hours of footage in my studio weren’t enough… they called me back.
The show Producer asked if I would be available to come to the client’s home to film
some footage of me working with Meg to install the knobs onto their new cabinetry.
Of course I said yes… more TV time?!… I’m in!!!

So I showed up at the house to meet up with the film crew. I got a quick tour of the kitchen
as they were setting up the lighting and staging the kitchen for “The Big Reveal.” After a
quick trip to the make-up artist, and then to the sound guy to wire me up with a microphone,
I was finally ready for my time with Meg in the kitchen… as we installed a few knobs!
Sadly, that portion didn’t quite make it onto the screen. I’m sure it’s sitting on the
cutting room floor somewhere still.

But it was great to see how my custom cabinetry knobs & handles looked in the kitchen!
It was weird to finally see the “style board” come to life with MY handiwork in place.
The square knobs were installed on the kitchen cabinets. And the horn shapes were installed
horizontally onto the drawers. They turned out to be a beautiful compliment with the dark
ebony stained woodwork.

So funny to see how the kitchen came to life as we installed more knobs around the kitchen.

Of course I was a big fan of the glass tiles… very aquatic, very Mediterranean.
And the copper sink which worked so well with some of the “oranger” tones in the knobs.

While I was there waiting for filming, in between takes and while they were styling everything,
I did take a little “photo tour” of the kitchen to share with those who may have missed the show.

Oh yeah, and I “just happened” to bring a couple mugs with me as a gift to the homeowners!
Isn’t it great how they “just happened” to match the color scheme of the kitchen SO well?!
No mere coincidence I might say... My kitchen “house-warming gift” to them.

So that’s my story. By now I hope you’ve watched my “big debut” on HGTV…
and I hope that you don’t think I made too big of a fool of myself?!!!
It’s all in the editing…

Okay, my episode of “Meg’s Great Rooms” just aired on HGTV.
It seems so long ago that we made the pieces and filmed the episode.
I think it all looked great. The kitchen. The colors. The texture. MY KNOBS!!!
I especially liked seeing the couple’s reaction when they came in for the “Big Reveal.”
And even more, that one of the little kids pointed out the knobs!!!

I must admit I was hoping for a little more air time. But realistically, I knew that it was
only a 30 minute show… minus commercials… that doesn’t leave a lot of time for ME?!

We filmed close to five hours of footage in my studio, as well as some additional footage
of me in the house helping Meg install the knobs onto the cabinets. Sadly, there was a LOT
of footage left on the cutting room floor… as expected. With that, I think they also lost
a lot of my witty banter and snappy repartee! They missed some of the funny parts with
Meg working in the studio. Especially the part when she finished making her “twisted horn”
drawer pull and didn’t like it so much – so I reached over a squished it right in front of her!
And told her she can always make another one… it’s just clay!

I think I came off looking pretty professional – and they showed a good assortment the work
in my studio. I just wish I was identified better as “Fire When Ready Pottery” and not quite
so much Lillstreet. I’m sure they were going for more of a “community” feel.

All in all, I was quite pleased with the episode. I was excited when it got to my part.
When Meg finally came over to Lillstreet on the show, I must admit I got a little giddy,
even though I already knew what was going to happen!

I guess I should be excited about my “minute & forty seconds” of HGTV Fame!
In my head I was pretty much expecting it to be edited down to about 19 seconds!!!

All set up and ready to go at the Hinsdale Fine Arts Festival.
It’s going to be a beautiful weekend under the best shade tree in the park!!!

Two days of fun in Burlington Park. Both days from 10:00am-5:00pm.
Saturday, June 9th & Sunday, June 10th, 2012.
And the shelves are packed with LOTS of pots!!! Come early for the best selection!

It was great this year… as there were two empty booth spaces right next to me.
So I “spread” out a bit and created the Fire When Ready Garden Shop! Complete with
textured terra cotta planters, windowsill herb flower pots and groovy garden stakes!

Plus a little shameless self-promotion along the way never hurt anything…
especially if it’s about my big TV debut tonight on HGTV!!!

Make some popcorn… set the DVR… cuddle up on the sofa…
for my big television debut on HGTV’s “Great Rooms With Meg.”
Airing this Saturday, June 16th at 8:00pm Central time.

Now sure, this isn’t my first television exposure… not to gloat, but I was on WGN’s
Bozo’s Circus when I was a little kid. And, not only was I on the show… I played the
game at the end when they would have a group of kids all playing the game. The challenge
was for me a my partner to stack cups & saucers on the flat end of a baseball bat. I held the
bat, and she stacked the cups & saucers… tallest stack a the end of the game wins!
Well, let me just say I was suddenly the proud owner of big prize…
a View-Master 3-D ‘Scooby-Doo’ Slide Projector!!!

But I digress…

Back to the real show… get ready to watch my “20-seconds of fame” this Saturday on HGTV.
I did a special project for them for a kitchen remodeling show they were doing. I made the
pieces and they came into my studio to do some filming of Meg and me. We did almost five
hours of filming… but I’m confident all of “my best work” will be left on the cutting room floor!
I’m sure they’ll craft all the pieces together to make a great show. I’m confident… or…
The editors thought it would be fun to see me all sweaty, flustered and rambling on like an
idiot on screen. It was seriously like 90-degrees in my studio. Trust me, it could go either way…

And let me just say… I still wish I had kept the ‘Scooby-Doo’ View-Master!!!

Thanks for playing… and for guessing the names of some of the potters
who share their talents during the St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour!
In case you were wondering…

Here are the 20 potters who I thought had really cool patterns & textures!
And if you noticed, they’ve been in alphabetical order just to make it easier for you.

Potter #1 -  Mary Barringer, Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Potter #2 -  Bob Briscoe, Harris, Minnesota

Potter #3 -  Linda Christiansonm Lindstrom, Minnesota

Potter #4 -  Delores Fortuna, Galena, illinois

Potter #5 -  Steven Hill, Independence, Missouri

Potter #6 -  Michael Hunt & Naomi Dalglish, Bakersville, North Carolina

Potter #7 -  Karin Kraemer, Superior, Wisconsin

Potter #8 -  Simon Levin, Gresham, Wisconsin

Potter #9 -  Suze Lindsay, Bakersville, North Carolina

Potter #10 – George Lowe, Decorah, Iowa

Potter #11 -  Kent McLaughlin, Bakersville, North Carolina

Potter #12 -  Jenny Mendes, Chesterland, Ohio

Potter #13 -  Matthew Metz, Alfred Station, New York

Potter #14 -  Donna Polseno, Floyd, Virginia

Potter #15 – Ellen Shankin, Floyd, Virginia

Potter #16 -  Mark Shapiro, Worthington, Massachusetts

Potter #17 – Sam Taylor, Westhampton, Massachusetts

Potter #18 -  Shoko Teruyama, Marshall, North Carolina

Potter #19 – Tom Turner, Mars Hill, North Carolina

Potter #20 -  Richard Vincent, North Branch, Minnesota

So mark your calendar for next year’s tour… it’s always on Mother’s Day Weekend.
You’ll be glad you did. And you’ll see a LOT more incredible work by more than just
the twenty potters I featured here in my little game!