Open 4 Discussion: Clay Comfort

You know... I had a quirky realization this morning as I poured my coffee into my Kristin Pavelka mug. While overall, my sentiments about the southwest and this strange new city are very, very good, I do have my moments where I realize my life has changed drastically in the last month. My friends are all hundreds of miles away... All of them. I have no studio to run off to for a creative kick in the butt. And the art culture in this city is so different from back home and, truth be told, a little more hidden then I'm used to.

Yesterday all these thoughts backed-up a bit and the result was a case of homesickness. It wasn't too bad, but the thought of living away from my city by the bay for so long unsettled me for a while. 

Yet this morning, when I opened my cupboard and looked up at my collection of charming handcrafted mugs, the strangest thing happened. I felt right back at home. As I lifted the curvy green mug with the orange-centered flowers from the back of the shelf, I immediately felt the comfort of my little hobbit hole back in San Francisco. And it's not just the way the mugs look, but the feel of each one in my hand that I have become so familiar with over the last year and a half. And the shape of the lip as a warm drink passes over mine. And the way the grounds from the crumby french-press look when they get trapped at the bottom of each different mug.

I think this is one of the reasons I am so in love with ceramics, and pottery in particular. When objects are hand-crafted, like the ones in my cupboard, they're imbued with a type of character that makes them more of a friend then just a mug. It may sound silly, but I guarantee I  am not the only one who feels this way.

I like when artists really embrace this quality of their creations. Have a read at Michelle Summer's blog, where she talked about this recently. Then tell me what you think. Do you have relationships with some of your pots, or other handmade objects in your home?

Mug of the Month: The Collection

 

So here's the whole kit-n-kaboodle collection. Isn't it fantastic? I've already moved all the other mugs I had out of the cupboard to make plenty of room for these babies. I can't wait until I have open shelving to display these on so friends can choose their own favorites for tea and coffee when they come 'round to visit.

Thank you to all the artists who made these little pieces of art. I'm so happy to have a piece from each of you in my home!

Mug of the Month: December

This weekend I made an unplanned stop at the Bizarre Bazaar with my best friend and her girlfriend. Once we arrived I remembered that Hue Yang was going to have a booth at the fair and I be-lined for her spot immediately (after a quick nibble at the Chairman Bao food truck of course). It was so lovely to finally meet Hue in the real world as I've been following her blog and adoring her work for some time now. I had planned on purchasing one of Hue's mugs as part of this collection from the beginning but was waiting to be able to choose from a large selection in real life because she has so many wonderful characters and I wanted to be able to find me favorite one.

So, I chose the Koala. Because koalas are one of the cutest creatures ever and I loved the way his cute mug filled up so much space on this, well, mug. Hue's trademark is that each creature has a little quote written on the other side of the mug in Chinese. The koala on this mug is saying "I like to eat while I sleep," something I can relate to as a bit of a foodie myself. I gotta say, Hue's handles are soooo comfortable. I love that!

I also picked up one of Hue's shot glasses, because I just can't get enough of her sweet little illustrations.  This little bugger comes with a snail on front and "Cheers!" written on back in Chinese. Last night I used him to sip a little bit of whiskey while I decked my Christmas tree. I hope he didn't get too tipsy!

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, you must come to the Renegade Craft Fair. I will be there on Saturday manning the SFSU Textile Guild's booth and having an all around good time. But there will also be so many fantastic ceramic artists including Hue, Sara Paloma, Rae Dunn, Paula Lopez, and Whitney Smith.

Well, that wraps up the collection... I'll soon share a post with photos of all the mugs together so you can see the collection how I see it everyday. :) Stay tuned...

Mug of the Month: November (plus a bonus)

Okay, I know I have been absent for some time, but three studio classes nearing finals, holidays, and being sick a whole bunch has consumed 110% of my time. My mug collection, however, will not suffer. Above is November's addition to the squat and handled family- a charming bluebird number by none other than Ron Philbeck. I have been adoring Ron's work, and this character in particular, for months now. I finally bit the bullet and decided she would make such a lovely member of my collection. She will forever remind me of this year's Thanksgiving which was the happiest I've ever had... Thanks Ron!

I also had a very special surprise last month... Kelly and Adam of Honest Works Pottery, sent me a very unexpected gift in the mail- a beautiful white stoneware mug. I couldn't have been happier upon opening the box. Not only was the gift such an exciting surprise but the mug itself reminds me so of the cheerful aesthetic I'm always in pursuit of as an artist. I love the giant bursting green flower and the tiny little yellow scales and the flirty little foot. Thank you so much, Kelly and Adam. This truly is a happy little pot!

Mug of the Month: October

Here is my October mug made by my friend and studio-mate, Amy Horn. Amy is an incredible thrower and is especially talented when it comes to shaping pots.  I fell in love with this mug the minute I saw it come out of the kiln, though, to be honest I didn't get my hands on it until this past Monday night. It will, however, forever be my SF Giants World Series Mug! I was drinking from it the moment the game was called and I will never forget that night or this entire season! 

The GIANTS are Number One, baby, and so is this lovely mug!

And a little bit more of a close up... :)

Mug of the Month: Catch-up

Well, I have a lot to share with you here... My Mug of the Month collection went on hiatus after my fiance lost his job last spring. Apparently when you're battling for unemployment, a handmade mug collection isn't high on the priority list. Go figure!

But not to worry, things began looking up as soon as we both started school full time again in August. A little more financial security (due in large to an awesome amount of grant money) meant I got to play catch up with my mug collection last month. I went a little nuts and decided to order five mugs from artists that I've been lusting after for a while. Remember, I'm making up for five months of hiatus here.

Two mugs were ordered from Etsy, as usual. By the way, I have a great collection of ceramists going on my Etsy Favorites which you can find on the lower right side of this blog. I highly recommend checking it out. And let me know if you think you ought to be added to the list.

First a gigantic number, I present my mug from Keith Phillips of Mudstuffing fame. I'm very impressed by his wood and soda fired work and especially am titillated by his shino pieces. When I found such an elegant and quirky shino mug I knew it had to be mine. I also thought this mug would make my honey very happy as most the mugs I have now are on the smaller side. When it arrived it was huge! Perfect. And sure enough, my honey claimed it for his own, immediately. He loves the glazing, size, and witty decals almost more than I do. 

Next was a darling little beauty from Jenni Brant. I love her attention to detail and the delicacy of her work.  Brant's pieces are so cute and whimsical. I was pleasantly surprised upon opening this package to find even more detail in the glazing work and that the cup was much more elegant than cute. This is my new morning coffee cup. It feels like sipping from a Willy Wonka candy blossom-- so sweet.

I then decided to try something I haven't before. I ordered from a gallery. My favorite gallery, my hometown gallery, Red Lodge Clay Center! It was great and I'll definitely order from a gallery again.

My first choice was Martha Grover. I love her work more than anything in the world.  I cannot get over the glazing techniques she uses and her organic shapes.  The mug I ordered, as usual, came to me much more beautiful than I had anticipated.  The green interior is so cool and the size is more than adequate. A large mug is very important for tea, especially when it looks like a giant foxglove blossom.

For something a little more reminiscent of home on the range, I picked out a Sue Tirrell mug.  Tirrell's work is so very western, but in a very modern way.  Her shapes are solid and comfortingly round. And her colors are simple but bold.  It's a shame you can't see the fantastic sgrafitto work, Tirell carves the characters on her work; it is a remarkable detail that photos just can't do justice to.

 And lastly but definitely not leastly, a Kristin Pavelka mug to make nine in the collection so far.  One of my favorite artists working in earthenware.  The mug fits wonderfully in your hand and the glazing has so much depth it's a real treat to look at.  I didn't realize but Pavelka also sgrafittos part of her design onto the cups and then finishes the patterns off with some extra details in glaze. This baby is also a very good size, and I think the flowers will bring me a lot of tea-filled cheer over the cold, dreary winter that's heading our way this year.

So there we are-- May, June, July, August, and September. I am so pleased with the collection so far. Together they look like such a great little series. I have only three more to go until this collection is complete. Then I have to start thinking what I'm going to collect next! :)

Mug of the Month: March and April

Okay, so I got a little behind on this one... But at least I came through. My artisan mug collection is now four deep thanks to my most recent acquisitions. The first, a stunning liquid holder from my friend and studio mate-neighbor, the ever talented Scott Jennings.  He works impeccably in slab construction. And for working in a process that's all about flat he sure creates some voluptuous pieces. The particular style that I purchased reminds me of a blow fish, wave, coral-encrusted rock. Hence the lovely oceanic scene above. It fits though, doesn't it? 

P.S. The lip is a beauty on this one.

Next is my super-dooper surprise mug from the Molly Hatch workshop. I know, you're shocked I picked this as my April mug. It's beautiful. I am so inspired by her illustrative techniques and I love the pinched feel of this mug. It has what Molly refers to as 'evidence of her hand' and makes the piece all the more lovely.  I've been drinking from it night and day: Morning coffee? Check. Midday tea? Check. Evening wine? Double check. I want more!

Okie doke, we've got a Fourth and Clay sale tomorrow morning and a Gwendolyn Yoppolo workshop at the end of the month. A million bucks to whoever can guess next month's pick!

Wait. Did I say a million bucks? I meant kuddos. Kuddos.

Mug of the Month: February

Oh February, you were sooooo dreary. Thank goodness I received this little beauty in the mail to make my mornings at my desk all the more cozy.

This month's darling mug comes from Dawn Ferguson of Ferguson Pottery in Orlando, Florida.  It's a smooth, rich earthenware body (my favorite) with a velvety periwinkle glaze and charming foliage motifs. It's absolutely lovely and quite different from her work I'm most familiar with, which is much brighter and also wonderful.

Take a look at Ferguson's Etsy shop as well as her website to see more images of her work.

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P.S. I totally just signed up for the Molly Hatch workshop at Fourth and Clay in Berkeley, CA. You should be jealous. ;)

Mug of the Month: January

I'm on a new project.

It's called Mug of the Month.

Basically, every month I'm going to buy a handmade mug.

And then I'm going to show it to you in the following month, or as soon as I get it.

And it's going to be fun.

Because I'm going to amass a fabulous collection of mugs.

And you'll get to see it.

Last month was mug number one, January's mug.  It was thrown by Robert Siegel and surfaced by Stephanie Kao. It is absolutely splendid. I bought it in Stephanie Kao's Etsy shop.