More of my “catch-it-while-it’s-clean” studio photo tour… a little closer up this time!

Don’t forget that you can always follow along on Facebook!
Just click on the link to get to my pottery page… and then click LIKE.
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You’ll get posts from my studio, updates, photos, process shots and an occasional
biking sunrise photo along the way. Never junk mail. Never stupid jokes.
It’s immediate pottery fun on your Facebook News Feed. But remember that
my blog always has more information, more stories, more photos, more fun!
So don’t stop coming to my blog… but LIKE me on Facebook too!

Just eight weeks from today!
The premier pottery event in the Midwest!

20th Annual St. Croix River Valley Pottery Tour
Friday, May 11, 2012 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Saturday, May 12, 2012 – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, May 13, 2012 – 10:00am-5:00pm

Mark your calendars and plan a weekend get-away to surround yourself with incredible
pottery at every turn. There are seven studio stops on the tour, with 49 incredible potters
along the way! Each one better than the next. Each one with a distinctive style. Each with
years of experience. Each with incredible pots!!! So hard to narrow it down… so I’ve picked
out the Top Ten Potters that I’m looking forward to seeing. Some are perennial favorites,
some are friends, and others are new… and may just “need” to join my collection?!

Bob Briscoe – Always the first stop of my tour! Bob’s studio location is beautiful as it
overlooks a quaint pond & woods. Then, to make it even cooler, he puts up several large
white tents and fills them with a LOT of incredible pots and potters! Bob makes these
incredibly funtional; pots with great glazes & textures. Nothing too fancy. Just a great pot.
In fact, I have a set of bowls that Bob made that are perfect for my Thai food addiction!

Matt Metz – One of the favorites on my tour. Luckily, he’s one of the guest potters
at Bob Briscoe’s studio. So when I start my day at Bob’s, I can “have my pick” of all Matt’s
treasures before they get snatched up. I’ve acquired quite a collection of his work…
including this platter which I got last year!

Simon Levin – Guest potter at Guillermo’s place, Simon gets these incredible flashing effects.
Generally I’m not a huge fan of wood-fired pottery. But Simon Levin is the exception!

Steven Hill – I’ve known Steven for several years now, and enjoy seeing him whenever I get
the chance. His glazing effects are stunning. With glazes running, dripping, crystalizing and
working it out all over every pot! Over the past few years, Steven has switched from cone 10
reduction firing to cone 6 oxidation… all the while keeping the integrity of his glazing
techniques. Can’t wait to see him up in Minneapolis. To laugh with him & see his new pots!
Maybe he’ll finally have some dinnerware ready for me?! Yep… I’m waiting Steven…

Delores Fortuna – I’ve know Delores now for several years, but definitely getting to
know her better over the past couple. Delores is an occasional teacher at Lillstreet Art
Center so I get to see her when she comes around. Unfortunately, her class is typically
on Tuesday night… which is the same night as my class! So I can never take her class?!!!

Ellen Shankin – Beautiful forms with sweet glaze combinations. When I first started taking
pottery classes, Ellen had some pots in the Lillstreet Gallery. Even back then, I was still drawn
to her pots. Now that I have more experience & clay knowledge… I still appreciate her work.

Silvie Granatelli – Textures, patterns & colorful glazes that accentuate the details.
If you want to get some of her work, you need to get to the Tour early… her “good stuff”
gets snatched up quickly!

Mary Barringer – Somehow, I have yet to get a Mary Barringer piece?!
How has that happened? I love her subtle textures, and minimal pop of color.

Suze Lindsay – Whimsical illustrations, forms and designs… and soda fired to boot!
I appreciate her simple brush techniques – how deliberate her work is, and yet still very
spontaneous looking. Suze’s style is one of those I “appreciate” but know that I would never
be able to duplicate! I think I’m just a bit too tightly wound… some say anal-retentive!

Josh DeWeese – I first met Josh DeWeese at the old Lillstreet Art Center. He stopped by
several years ago for a weekend workshop. I was still pretty young in my ceramics career.
So it will be interesting to see his work again now that I know more, and appreciate more!

Well, that’s just ten of the 49 incredible potters that will be part of the annual tour!
Of course, there are always a couple surprises along the way. New potters to the tour
who catch your fancy. Or artists who may have new work that catches your eye. Of course,
there a few “missing” from the tour that I was looking forward to seeing. What happened to
Ryan Greenheck & Laurie Shaman?! I got my first Ryan Greenheck pieces last year and
LOVE ‘EM!!! I was definitely looking forward to more of Ryan’s “perfectly” glazed pieces!!!
What the heck?… no Greenheck?!

Mark your calendar and make plans to see a lot of beautiful pottery. Start saving your money
because you’re going to need it… unless you have more restraint than I do! Even if you’re not
planning on purchasing any pots, it’s still a great adventure. So many beautiful things. That
region of Minnesota is beautiful. And the artists are all there and willing to chat. Last year,
we had a great conversation with Bob Briscoe & Suze Lindsay. Hope to talk with them
again this year!

Check their website for complete details, dates, maps & artist information…
www.minnesotapotters.com

You know how I love texture… and repetitive patterns… and excess creativity!
Well, apparently so does my friend Northwoods potter friend Amy Higgason…
and here are a few detail shots of her incredible pieces! See what I mean?…

Tonight was Amy Higgason’s “unofficial” Trunk Show in my studio at Lillstreet Art Center.
She drove down from the Wisconsin Northwoods yesterday, escaping three feet of snow!!!
Today she made it to the my studio and we quickly got to converting my display shelves
and work areas to be “The Amy Show”. It’s been several years since Amy had a studio at
Lillstreet, so it was kind of a return to her roots. She brought a lot of her latest work, many
fresh out of the kiln, to show off in my studio for her Trunk Show. Special thanks to everyone
who braved the elements to come and see Amy and her work.

You can tell from Amy’s work that she is quite an illustrator, as well as potter.
Many of her pots are more like visual “paintings” on clay. So much work and so many hours
go into every pot she creates. With a multitude of textures, patterns & colors, Amy’s work
draws you in and makes you want to touch every piece!

A friend of ours has made a keen observation about both of our styles. Pat Howe decided that
Amy’s work is “feathery” and my work is “footprinty.” At first we all laughed… but in hindsight,
he was oddly insightful and onto something. Amy and I are definitely working with some of the
same aesthetics, yet using our own techniques developed over the years.

I think that Amy had a good time tonight showing her work in the Chicago area after 8 years.
Seeing some familiar faces around Lillstreet. Getting away from her frozen tundra at home!!!

I always think it’s important to support and help promote your friends. Making your way
as a full-time artist is a tough road. And everyone needs a little help now and again.
So I was pleased to give Amy the exposure she deserves in my studio tonight! She makes
incredible ceramic works but is somewhat “isolated” by living up in the Wisconsin Northwoods.
While her home & studio are located in the middle of Nature’s beauty, there’s also not a lot of
“pottery shopper” traffic. Hopefully, she made some contacts tonight, and exposed her work to
people who may never had seen her if she never made it out of the Northwoods…
especially with the recent snowstorm that almost cancelled her trip simply because
she almost couldn’t get out of her own driveway!!!

I’ve always said that I love having “Talented Friends.” Not only in their artistic endeavors,
but also in their ability to express themselves, share their ideas and inspire others.
Our pottery community is a lot smaller than people would expect. And I think it’s important
for each of us to support each other, educate people about pottery, and promote handmade
crafts   & small businesses whenever given the chance. Enough preaching to the choir…
you get it.

If you didn’t get a chance to see Amy tonight, her work will continue to be on display
in my studio space through Tuesday night, March 6th.

This weekend was a two-day workshop with Julia Galloway.
Let me just say, this was my third two-day workshop with Julia Galloway!

Each time I’ve seen her working, I’ve been at a different stage in my own ceramic career. She was also my first workshop ever – just a few sessions into my wheelthrowing classes. My second workshop with Julia was a few years later when I was addicted to clay, but not really sure where to take it from there. This weekend was another experience – now as a working potter with a whole new perspective. And quite possibly, ready to actually “hear” all of the tips she’s so good at putting out there.

First off, her three word artist statement du jour : domesticity, conversation, beauty. And that’s what she makes. Pots that can be used for nourishment, that create a conversation and are inherently beautiful. Sounds like a good plan to me!

We started with Julia doing some quick throwing. In Julia’s studio, she throws for two days on the weekend & then spends rest of the week decorating those pots. In a condensed workshop like this, she had to make pots quickly to have something to work on later.

As the pieces began to set up, she then started to alter the forms by pressing, billowing & squaring the forms. In her mind, she had a plan for each piece. And she explained to us that many of her “plans” are created by a “predicament.” A conflict that needs to be resolved. A hurdle that needs to jumped. A limitation that needs to be pushed. It wasn’t always clear to us where she was going with the demos… but the exploration & discovery was part of the fun. Many “ah-ha” moments as they came together.

Not only are Julia’s pots very gestural & animated, but so is she. Her ability to be informative & approachable at the same time is refreshing. She has so much information to dispense that it could easily be overwhelming. But instead, she instills so much humor & passion into her presentation. She’s one of those people that I find so endearing & engaging… so much so,
that this is my third workshop with her. Sure, her work is incredible. But I could just listen to her talk. Seriously. Give her a topic and let her go. She’s thoughtful, insightful and giving. Always willing to share. But I digress. Enough gushing. Back to the workshop…

An added bonus… she also showed us a few new, groovy handle making techniques. Handles with textures?!… I loved ’em… and watch for me to be “appropriating” them soon!

Day Two… back for a second day of too much information flying our way…
and she’s still making beautiful things. Even more beautiful as things come together!

As her pieces are now leatherhard, she started attaching, stacking, cutting & combining pieces. Creating some of her signature pieces… also making pieces that will accentuate her surface decorations! And all the while, she’s talking. And talking. Sharing stores. Sharing insights. Sharing her path. Again… I could just listen to Julia talk. And I did. I’m impressed by people who can express themselves verbally & eloquently. And yet never condescending or demeaning. Always willing to answer a question. Always willing to share concepts, tips, secrets & opinions. Everything you want in an educator. Everything I want to be as a teacher.

In between the demonstrations, giving the clay some time to stiffen up, Julia took time to share some art history with us. She brought her PowerPoint collection of pottery through history. To give us a basis of understanding, to offer up historical reference on how pottery had evolved and changed along with the world. How surface decoration is as old as pottery itself. It was somewhat amazing to how pottery has remained the same, and yet so
completely different over the centuries. When I was in college, art history was all about painting & sculpture. We never talked pottery. Who knew how much it was all connected?!

Then, as she started decorating her pots, she also explained how ALL surface decoration can be summarized into four categories. And since we had just seen centuries of surface decoration, it was fairly obvious… yet great to have it pointed out clearly. Here they are…
1. dots.     2. lines.     3. floral representation.     4. pictorial imagery

So, starting her own surface decoration, she wanted to show how “easy” it can be… and that sometimes you just need to dive in and do it. No hesitation. Don’t overthink it. So her pitcher slip demo is just that… dots, then lines, then floral, then object imagery.

And then it was on to some of her signature styles in surface decoration.
With a lot of slip painting, slip trailing, incising, wax resist, slip inlay, shaving, layering and more! All the time talking. Talking about styles. Talking about techniques. Talking about how you need to make a lot of pots. How you need to try a lot of different things. Try, try, try again.
How you need to commit to the techniques when you start. Don’t be timid. Don’t be hesitant. All suggestions I give my own class of beginners… don’t be wishy-washy… commit… it’s just clay!

As the workshop began to draw to a close, we had a much larger vocabulary of techniques, as well as a lot of historical reference to draw from. We looked at some of her pots from the gallery – now understanding exactly how they were made, as she explained some of the steps of how she made them.

As we all found out, so much of Julia’s work is about making beautiful things. Beautiful forms & shapes. Beautiful lines & details. Beautiful layers of patterns & shapes. Her quest for beauty is admirable. Her willingness to share is impressive.

With the workshop encapsulated above, I still feel as though I haven’t covered it all. It’s her dynamic personality, her passion for clay, her willingness to share everything, and her eloquent turn-of-phrase that does it for me. It’s impossible to grasp that in a blog.
And I do think that the third time was the charm. I feel at this point in my ceramic career, I was ready to “hear” what Julia had to say. And now confident enough in my own skills to now stat trying more of her techniques. The trick will be making it happen. I can’t wait to
see what happens, and how I can incorporate her tricks into my own styles. I don’t want to make “Julia Galloway Pots.” But I am looking forward to seeing how she influences my work.

Thank you Julia Galloway for another wonderful workshop.
I know that everyone in the room was as enchanted as I was, and learned a lot along the way. Everyone in there has their own path that they’re on, and I’m sure we all got something different and yet equally important out of the two days we spent with you.

For more information on Julia Galloway, check out her website in my “Links” section. As well as the “Link” to Montana Clay which highlights her surrounding ceramic community.

Here’s another entry in the Valentine Vase pool.
This time it’s from my friend Kelly who is showing off yesterday’s Valentine flowers
in one of my stamped vases.. plus some textured salt & pepper shakers to boot!
Her husband Kel did well again this Valentine’s Day. Thanks for sharing Kelly!

I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines Day today.
And possibly received some flowers from that special someone
that you “just had to” put into a Fire When Ready Pottery vase of some sort?!!!
Like my friend Pam who’s Valentine flowers make my vase look even better!
Well done hubby Pat.

Remember, flowers always look better in a handmade ceramic vase.
Just like food always tastes better off a handmade ceramic plate!
Go figure…

Last night I stopped by the “Ceramics Showcase” at McGaw YMCA in Evanston.
A couple of “My Talented Friends” were showing there, so I wanted to swing by before
heading back to Lillstreet for our annual Holiday Opening Party. All of the work in the
Showcase was quite nice, but of course, I’m just a little partial to my friends Cory McCrory,
Roberta Polfus & Delores Fortuna! So I just “had to” add to my collection…

First a couple new things from Cory. An adorable red hat kid which is actually a jar.
The hat comes off to reveal a bright orange interior! And you know how I love orange!

Speaking of orange… I also got another mug from Cory while I was there. I’ve always been
drawn to her sense of color & whimsy. Plus the textures & patterns ain’t too shabby either!

And then, as if I don’t already have too many ornaments on my Christmas tree, I needed to
get another one from Cory. The white bird will get added tot he tree. The black bird will
take up year-round residence elsewhere! You’ll need to come find it!

And another textured, porcelain vessel by Roberta. Such fine detail and carving! Love it.

And a groovy plate by Delores! Great pattern & design… plus a really cool “lip” or rim
of the late that curls over slightly. To help get all of those peas onto your fork!

It was another busy night of art. This Ceramics Showcase and the Lillstreet Holiday Opening.
Of you have a chance, stop by either one, or both, today or tomorrow!

Ceramics Showcase is at the McGaw YMCA at 1000 Grove Street, Evanston, Illinois
Lillstreet Art Center is at 4401 North Ravenswood (at Montrose), Chicago, Illinois

You know I love making mugs!
And tonight I finally finished adding handles, painting some colored slip accents and
setting them out to dry. Half of them are made of soda stoneware, the other half B-Clay.
All of them are set to be fired in my upcoming soda kiln. The B-Clay works especially well
in the back stack of the kiln, whereas the soda clay turns out better with a little heavier
coverage of soda glaze build-up. So I need to keep track of which is which… okay…
so there’s a small “code” on the bottom of each piece to help with that.

So now they’re drying… waiting to go into my next bisque kiln on Tuesday.
Forty-four of them… just in case you’re counting! Then they’ll be glazed and soda fired
just in time for my upcoming Holiday Home Show!