Puzzle Mugs

Puzzle mugs were first made by the Greeks in the second century BC.

Tavern joke jugs were very popular during the 17th to early 19th centuries in Europe.

The puzzle is to figure which holes to cover, the obvious, the hidden and which holes to sip from.

By simply holding this mug comfortably in the correct hand and sipping from the right hole, any brew could be enjoyed without spilling.

Here's an excellent video on how to construct a puzzle mug: http://www.dump.com/puzzlejug/

Wouldn't recommend it for drinking anything that has milk in it, though.  Wine and Beer are sorta self sanitizing. Tea is okay too--no milk. Iced tea with cubes floating around inside the mug would make it even more mysterious.

So Simple

How beautiful.

Featured artist at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Portland OR, Jason Russell's work is the essence of distilled form married with beautifully simple design.

His is the kind of work that makes you think, "Wow, I wish I had thought of that."

Definitely reminds me of Danish ceramics.

More on

http://www.designsponge.com/2011/08/jason-russell-ceramics.

and

http://www.jasonrussellceramics.com/gallery.html#

What a Difference a Glaze Makes

This tumbler didn't come out like I pictured it in my mind. The glazes ran 'way more than I expected, although I've done this before, but on a flat surface where they behaved themselves. This isn't quite IT overall. I want the base darker. I'll brush the rim to match and the flare at the bottom of the vessel, then wax the thing. Then do the body. This was an experiment: I threw the top and base separately. I scored the base heavily, bisqued them separately, then glazed both pieces and set them in the kiln on short kiln posts. (The inside of the base wasn't glazed.) Musta' been all those fumes because a couple of these guys got drunk and s-l-i-d ever so slightly off-center. I still like the look. It's worth repeating, I think.

"Cup Committee Meeting" When I photographed this group and looked at the result, I thought it looked as if they were all talking to each other. (I must eat lunch)

I had a lot of fun making these. I wanted them loose with interesting variations. They all have names: Sluggo, Unkempt Lady, Nose, Three Bumps, One Bump, Three Knuckles, etc. They came out pretty much like I expected. I mean, they're WHITE. Total emphasis on form here. I'll make these again, only bigger and more 'out there'. They're fun for you hand.

This tumbler was done after I did a series of smaller ones with more applied bumps. (Pictured below) It has a nicer shape, is larger and just classier looking. Not a whole lot of difference in the raw clay and finished piece. Easy to drink out of because of the lip-fitting flared top, Nice balance in the hand and easy to clean out because you can get your hand inside easily. I really like the size. It's about 10 oz. without filling to the top.

This is "Warts and All". This little devil and all his kin ran like a bandit. Pictured is the only surviver that can stand without leaning. Lovely interior, though, don'tchathink? A note will go in my glazing journal: Do NOT use this combo on anything vertical!

A cylinder form that has been paddled to make a square bottom works well with this glaze. It's a fake ash matt and the runs are very nice. Simple form/show-off glaze.

The grouping below is "Nice Family" because every one has one stamp at the bottom that is the same; the top stamp is different on each. This is a glaze combo I'm very comfortable with. I've used it before with stamped pieces and it pools nicely in the cavities. Celadon is always satisfying.

And Sometimes, I give mugs away

Sometimes I make special mugs just to give away. When I saw Beowulf & Grendel in Canada about a year ago, I was so taken with the movie that I started actively trying to get it shown in the U.S.

It needed a distributor, but first it needed a track record. I and some other fans began working to get it included in the Seattle International Film Festival. It did get put on the roster and the film's director, Sturla Gunnarsson, was lined up to come ands speak before the screening.

In the meantime, I had played around with the idea of making mugs with an applied streamlined Viking helmet design. I made several and tested different glaze effects, coming up with a final design that worked well both in form and glaze coloration. Some mugs went to people who had worked to get the film out there, some went to cast members and one to the screenwriter, Andrew Berzins.











When the film was shown at the Seattle International Film Festival, I was fortunate enough to meet Sturla and give him the mug. A group of us spent the evening having dinner with him and talking about the rigors of filmaking. What this cast and crew went through to bring this movie to the screen is a monument to tenacity. The website, www.beowulfandgrendel.com, is still up and the DVD is available for purchase. "Wrath of the Gods" , making it's rounds at various film festivals, is a documentary about the incredible problems that were faced and dealt with in order to make the movie. It is also available on DVD and can be found at www.wrathofgods.com.

So here's to you, guys, may you continue to make more great movies!

Clay Jags

I'm on another 'clay jag'. It happens. I get all enthused about making a certain form--in this case, tumblers--then try and see how many different kinds I can make. Sometimes I have to race to get the ideas all down on paper before going merrily off on another 'jag'. This finished tumbler was made while taking a class by Jamie Walker some time ago at Pottery Northwest on painting on raw clay with underglazes. It's an experimental piece. (Pfuut! as if that was something new. Nearly everything I make is experimental.) The designs were lightly drawn in pencil on a slightly damp thrown piece then outlined and filled in with a brush and underglaze. I used a bit of scraffito on the wide band at the top just to see what would happen. (I love to use it because it holds a pint of liquid and has a very comfortable lip.)

So here's some tumblers in process on the current jag: They have been thrown on the wheel and altered, they are awaiting a complete dry-out before being put into the bisque kiln. The first series of 6 (really 7 just in case and to keep a reference piece) were what I'm calling Innies and Outties. They either have areas that are pronounced dents or bumpy bits added to the outside. It's amazing how interesting they are to hold. A hand diversion.

The second is pure class. I have a stamp which I used to make the center medalian. First, I stamped slabbed clay, then thought, "How can I make nice clean cuts around the shape? I know, where's my biscuit cutter!" There's an old cutter rattling around somewhere in my studio. (See, that's why you need all kinds of crap in your studio because when you need it you NEED it.) I made another set of 6 with this motif, but with more going on with the surface--nubs and dents. The one pictured here is sort of an 'out-take'.

And the final set of 6 are tumblers on small pedestals. These are thrown separately and will be bisqued as two pieces, then glazed and fused together in the final firing--another test to see if THAT will work. I'm seeing these in a reddish brown with dark chocolate brown interiors and bases. We'll see.........

I still have more designs to go. Another set of 6 with the flared lip and oriental-like stamps down one side, a set with a series of large dents and indented lines, and yet another set with an underglazed big, dark spot on one side.