With my new artistic endeavor at Crafted Westside, for the first time, I have had the opportunity to really experiment with ceramics and find my aesthetic niche. I recently began adding stamped words and letters to my ceramics, with my “joe” mugs and teapots, and this technique has crossed over to incorporating stamps of objects into my work.
I have always enjoyed all things antique, vintage, and old. This is very apparent when you walk into my house and see the old, peeling furniture and other antique decor. I wanted this love to translate into my artwork, and when I found stamps with antique phones, watches, and cars, I knew it would be perfect.
To create these vintage-style mugs I make the base on the pottery wheel. I aim to throw medium height, with a slightly rounded shape. After trimming them and adding a handle, it’s time to add the stamped element. I roll out a thin piece of clay, press the stamp into it, and score and slip it to the side of the mug.
After the mugs are put together I set them out to dry to a bone-dry state. I then bisque fire them, then comes the glazing. I love the simplicity of white and dark brown against a pop of color. It is a color scheme that I have carried through all of my products at Crafted. To create this contrast look I use underglaze to emphasize the stamp and bright color on the interior. I then clear glaze the outside of the stamped mug.
I also add underglaze to my initials stamp on the bottom and my three-dot signature pattern. The mugs are put in the kiln, fired again, then they are complete and ready to add to the shelves.
I love the way these new stamped mugs look, I am already working on a small plate set to match. I find I am continuously on the lookout for other interesting stamps to add to my collection.
If you live in the Atlanta area and still haven’t checked out Crafted Westside, go take a look! The store is filled with amazing local and handmade products.
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