handled cups series b

After the first series I wanted to keep working on handles and on making mugs that actually matched, which led me to a second series in black clay, something I’d really taken to by then. I think a lot of people steer away from black because it can feel quite stark, but I love how simple it is and how it changes the feel of whatever you’re eating or drinking from it.

It’s also a lovely clay to throw with, because it has just enough grog to give it some strength without sanding your hands down in the process, although I did find the handles harder to pull than they were with the first series.

I wanted something to contrast with all that black, and since I’d been using porcelain slip on the last series, I brushed a few strokes of it on the side of each mug. I was going for something that looked a bit translucent and fluid, and I love how that comes through where the slip is thicker in some places and thinner in others, so I’m really happy with how these turned out.