this one has been a long time in the making.
about two years ago, i started vending at small local craft shows, getting my feet wet and trying to figure out how one does this selling-of-art stuff. one of the graduate students in my lab, who is quite possibly the best person on the planet, and certainly better than you or i, soon asked if he could come assist me at my table. he asked nothing in return, and in fact refused to accept any reimbursement i offered. he helped me at a half dozen or so shows over the course of that year. finally, he asked one small boon. a little thing, really. no trouble at all. he just wanted a dragon mug.
well, how could i say no? it wasn’t possible to refuse. so i tried. i made aborted dragon mug attempts again and again, never happy with the results. they were too heavy, too awkward, too unbalanced. not at all the thing to repay a young man for so very many hours of carefully preparing packaging, sitting my booth while i got up and chatted with other vendors, and generally keeping me sane. it took me several months before i hit upon the design that would work, and another four months to implement it, since i couldn’t do it at my usual studio*.
so here it is, in all its glory, with in-progress shots from every stage of development: the dragon mug.






gosh i hope he likes it.
*my usual studio is all low-fire earthenware pottery, which is fine for decorative work, but not really sturdy enough for daily washing and microwaving and such. i made the dragon mug from a stoneware clay that was fired at a much higher temperature, and should withstand years of abuse.