You know I love my kiln filler… and tonight I finished up even more!
One last bisque this week, then it’s another soda kiln firing this weekend.
And it was great to use all those new mini stamps that come out of my last bisque.

Mark your calendars… and plan a road trip for three weeks from today!
The 19th Annual St. Croix Valley Pottery Tour – May 6th, 7th & 8th
Just north of the Twin Cities along the St. Croix River by beautiful Taylors Falls.

Minnesota is know for some rich pottery culture. A lot of great potters live
and work in the Minneapolis area. And this is the perfect opportunity to visit
them in their studios, see their work, meet the artists – as well as their talented
friends who also come to their studios. There are seven incredible studios on the tour.
Each studio artist opens their location, and invites a few of their “Talented Friends”
to show their ceramic works as well. So it’s a pottery extravaganza with all of the
“big names” you’ve seen in all the galleries & Ceramics Monthly.

I am planning on going up again this year with my potter & friend Amy Higgason.
We’ve got a full schedule planned with a lot of pottery admiration, discovery &
shopping to do. With 46 talented artists on the tour, there is more than a lot to see –
and something for everyone’s taste. I can’t wait to see everything… but from looking
at the “list” on the poster, here are my personal Top Ten… in no particular order…

Okay, so maybe there is a particular order… Matt Metz (above) is my favorite.
And I already have quite the collection of his work… mugs, tumblers, jars, etc.
Can’t wait to see what’s new this year?! And now the rest… in no particular order!!

Ryan Greenheck & Suze Lindsay

Ellen Shankin & Delores Fortuna

Bob Briscoe & Donna Polseno

Steven Hill & Simon Hill

Silvie Granatelli

And the list doesn’t end there… there’s great work everywhere! And I know that Amy
will have a slightly different Top Ten… with Jenny Mendes at the top of that list!

Because not only are there the “official” stops on the tour, but there are also several
“rogue potters” in the area who also hang their shingle out by the roads. So if you want
even more pots… make sure you see some of the “undiscovered” talent in the area.

For complete tour details & map… check out the website: www.minnesotapotters.com

Still working towards my next soda kiln… about 9 days away…
and I was kind of panicking thinking I may not have enough to fill the whole kiln.
So I decided to make some new textured slab vases. Great fun playing with textures.
Putting them all over the vases… part of the fun is that both sides of the vase are
different texture “pictures.” So the finished vase can be shown with one side…
and then turned around to look like a completely different vase a few days later!

Once these are dry, I’ll bisque them and do a little bit of glazing… inside & out…
and then let the soda kiln work its magic to help accentuate the textures!
I may have gotten a little out of control. And now I’m pretty sure I’ll have too much
work for the kiln! There might be a “few” pieces that don’t quite fit into the kiln…

As I was loading the kiln, I was carefully stacking bowls…
and began to notice how cool they started looking with the rhythmic repetition
of the curved & fluted rims, the details of the stamped details and the great shadows that
helped define the textures. I may have to consider this… and make some new nesting bowls?!

Same bowls, different angle… a view from above!
I’m kinda diggin’ the new stamped-inside look with the fluted rims! So far, so good…

Perfect timing… I went back into the studio today hoping to stamp the bowls I threw yesterday.
Luckily for me, they were at just the right “stiffness” for some good stamping! So I did..

Bowl #1 : before, during & after…

Bowl #2 : before, during & after…

Bowl #3 : before, during & after…

Bowl #4 : before, during & after…

Bowl #5 : before, during & after…

Bowl #6 : before, during & after…

Bowl #7 : before, during & after…

And the tools of the trade… my banding wheel, a couple of my handmade stamps,
a needle tool, bamboo skewer, chopstick & and a dowel rod. That’s it… voila’.

Don’t forget that you can also follow Fire When Ready Pottery on Facebook.
I know I have a tendency to ramble, to weave a picture with my words… some have even
referred to me as verbose! I call it colorful & descriptive. But if you want quicker, more
succinct, updates & pictures, don’t forget that you can add me to your live Facebook Feed.

Just click on the link below to go to Facebook. Then click the “LIKE” button at the top.
You’ll get regular updates, stories, photos & more! And if you want a little more
description, a few more pictures, a lot more words… keep coming here to the blog!!!

Fire When Ready Pottery on Facebook.
www.facebook.com/firewhenreadypottery

After yesterday’s throwing marathon, today had to be the stamping marathon!
Shucks, huh?… good thing I love stamping!

Although my pots were all still a little wetter that I would like them to be,
a little “strategic drying” really payed off. A little bit of fan. Some rotating.
A lot of waiting… and some trimming of older pots & another batch of tiles…
and I finally got to stamp all of the pots I made yesterday. Okay, so they were
still a little squishier than I would normally like… but it was fun to see the
transformation from “plain” to textured. So much better now…

Coming soon… a LOT of trimming and handles for the mugs!

Yesterday, my studio “neighbor” Karen Patinkin asked if I would be
interested in splitting a cone 10 reduction kiln with her. Of course I said yes.
Unfortunately, I’ve been focused on my next soda kiln… and not cone 10.
So I asked her when she would like to fire and when I would need to have
my pieces ready to go. She mentioned two weeks!!! Yikes.

I’m always up for a challenge. So I started the production process today with
several hours of quality studio time. I used about 75 pounds of clay making some
of the “standards” I know I’ll need for the upcoming art fair season. Mugs, bowls,
soap dispensers, tiles and more! So I’m thinking that tomorrow I’ll be faced with
a LOT of stamping!!!

And if a day of throwing weren’t enjoyable enough… tonight was also
the PBS broadcast of the “Les Miserables” 25th Anniversary Concert!
So I got to play in the clay and hang out with all of my favorites… Eponine, Fantine,
Cosette, Jean Valjean and Javaert. The concert was great… even if it was on my
small, dusty & splattered studio TV! Didn’t matter… still completely enthralling!

And now that I’m home for the evening, how “convenient” that the second broadcasting
of “Les Miz” is currently playing on my larger & much cleaner living room TV.
It’s all so much bigger, brighter and more beautiful on a better TV. Looks like I may
be staying up a little longer than expected this evening. Shucks!