About this Product
This mug had many stages after being thrown on the wheel. They are screen printed floral mugs inspired by Marimekko. I hand drew the flowers in Procreate on my iPad then cut them into vinyl with my Cricut machine. I then adhered the vinyl to screen printing material. I screen printed pottery ink onto a gelipad then rolled the mug onto the geli where they transferred onto the mug. The mug was dipped into a studio shino glaze and fired in a Cone 10 reduction gas kiln.
Each mug holds approximately 12oz.
The mugs are dishwasher and microwave safe.
This listing is for one mug.
Mud in Maine
Meet the Maker
How it started...
My pottery journey started in 2017 when, shortly after moving back to Maine, I signed up for a class at Portland Pottery. I'd like to say that I was hooked right from the start but that would be a lie. I wasn't a natural, I struggled with centering and pulling. It was maddening and frustrating but I stuck with it. I made a lot of terrible pots. A lot.
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Pottery is an emotional and therapeutic journey for me. My mom was diagnosed with younger onset dementia and we lived that nightmare of her decline for 10 years until her passing from Covid in 2021. During the years of her decline I started therapy and my therapist helped me seek and Choose Joy. I had to rewire my brain out of the depths of despair. Choosing Joy could be as simple as taking a walk or big like trying a new skill. My mom loved pottery, she collected it and gave it for gifts. Part of my Choosing Joy journey was being led toward things my mom enjoyed. I feel that my mom had a hand in me becoming a potter. I only regret she never saw it for herself and I wasn't able to fill her home with pots.
About a year into pottery I had a seasoned potter friend (Nancy Ricker, who has sadly passed away) who was very encouraging, she insisted I make more of an effort to establish a home pottery studio. I was fortunate to have the space in a perviously occupied woodshop but I did not have the confidence. Nancy was insistent I search Craigslist for used pottery items like wheels and kilns. As luck would have it the second day I searched Craigslist I found a local potter who was retiring and offered all of her equipment for sale at a very reasonable price. Mud in Maine was established.
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Covid lockdown was a blessing and a curse. We can all list the many ways it was a curse. The blessing for me was forced time in my home pottery studio. I was able work on the techniques that had been giving me trouble storing them into muscle memory. Coming out of lockdown I started participating in in-person artisan shows and farmer's markets.
All pottery is handmade by me in my home studio just outside Portland, Maine or at the community studio, Portland Pottery, where I continue to take weekly classes. I am inspired by nature - ocean, garden, mountains and forest. I'm inspired by Maine!
