"CUPful" Pottery Excursion

Today some of the members of my art quilt group traveled once again to Creedmoor, NC, to visit the Cedar Creek Gallery.  They were having a special display and sale of mugs and cups handcrafted by artisans from all over the United States.

Some of the cups had very unique shapes, such as these with the dagger-like handles.

Some had very organic shapes and interesting ways to hold the cup.

There were lots of birds and other animals represented.

Here are the mugs that came home with me.

I love this two-sided mug.  There are painted faces on one side.

The other side is a nice floral.  The spring palette was very inviting.  I had my first cup of tea from this mug this afternoon. 

The other cup has a couple of dragonflies and a flower.

It was a very fun day.  I'll show more photos from the rest of the gallery and the gardens next time.

Coffee Time

Artist Bob Burridge has a weekly newsletter/video called Bob Blasts that I have been following for awhile.  When the latest Fall in Love With Journaling Prompt was Tea Time/Coffee Break, I decided to try to emulate his coffee cup series using watercolors.

First, I did just one cup in a small 5.5" x 8.5" Strathmore Mixed Media journal.

 Then, in my 9 x 12 Strathmore Visual watercolor journal, I did another and added some text on card stock.

 Finally, I did a double page spread in my Canson 7" x 10" Mixed Media journal.  

I think I like the first one best.  Bob recommends working in a series and painting very loosely.  He is fun to watch on the videos.  By the way, he sells his coffee cup paintings (9" x 12" acrylic on paper) for $195 each!