Well, in the last blog I was siting at the potters wheel. These two photos are examples of what I created out of that basic cylinder form.The top shot is the rounded, carved out mountain mug. The shot below shows the actual indentations of my fingers in the basic shape. I think I do like it that the marks of my fingers are so apparent in the finished product. "Made by hand" has a whole new definition and feeling to me. A long time ago I made a lot of mugs. They were a sure seller, albeit not so exciting to me as a sculpture. I stopped making them for a while, not wanting to follow that path any more. Then I changed my mind. An artist friend tells me that any functional object we create deserves to be as excellent as we can possible achieve. I agree.
I started refining my shapes; the designs; adding a lighter glaze interior.The turquoise outer glaze always works best on porcelain.Using that clay is a lot like playing with butter, easier on toast I assure you.However, the end results seem worth it to me. The vibrant colors and the smooth texture.
When I am in the gallery, I have encountered people from all over who collect handmade mugs. Used for coffee, tea, or just to feel the handmade drinking vessel, no matter what it contains. Often it is a memory of where they visited. I like that . It is my desire to take the functional, and make it beautiful and joyful for the hand holding it.
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