No matter how many times I have tried, I just can’t seem to make a mug big enough!
These were my attempts a few weeks ago. I unwrapped them today and thought how did they get so tiny? Actually, their size would suit most normal human beings perfectly. It’s just us freaks that want a mug that can accommodate at least two cups of coffee in one sitting!
I began the day with this wreck of a vessel. The bottom portion had flown off the pottery wheel while I was attempting to trim it. There were digs in it from hitting another pottery wheel. I’m lucky I didn’t hurt anybody :) I should have thrown it away, but I couldn’t. I am like my grandfather who couldn’t throw anything away. He always thought of ways to fix things. So, my thoughts were to create the ugliest mug ever! I added some coils to the top to make up for the rim that had broken off in the accident. This sparked an idea. “Ah ha – I can build up all these vessels to a super size!”
I spent the rest of the class creating textured slabs of clay. I then scratched and slipped these slabs and added them to all of the tops of the mugs. At this point, I had created a classic coil, a fish fin pattern, a checker pattern, a fabric doily imprint, and a striped groove pattern.
There’s another reason this was such a great idea. Some of the openings were a little too narrow. There is nothing worse than trying to get your beak into a cup that is too small. Us Italians know! As I built up the tops of all the mugs, I made the openings wider. It’s a win-win.
The face mug was another accident. I had bumped my hand into this vessel while it was wet and created an indentation. I couldn’t fix it, so I added a second indentation! I knew I could create eye-sockets and a face later on. It looks like I’ll have one more skeleton mug!
Did you notice my “ugliest mug ever”? I added giant 3-D polka dots to the sides to distract from all of the gashes in the vessel. It is so pitiful, it is actually starting to become cute. Hey as long as it doesn’t leak, I’ll use it!
Be Creative Mary 
Nice!