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News from Earth and Fire -- July 28, 2006 How do you mend a broken heart?Back when I was taking pottery classes and making a few pots myself, I did actually get to the point where I could make a decent bowl. I made quite a few mugs, too, but was never really happy with any that I made. Handles are hard, folks. It looks like it would be a simple thing, but it isn't, and you gotta make a lot of handles before any of them are very good. My handles generally were thick and uncomfortable, and not really very nice to look at either. Now, since the handle of a coffee mug is probably THE most important thing about a coffee mug, not having a decent handle was a big issue on most the mugs that I made. The other issue is size. There is "a perfect size" for a mug. Granted, everyone has an opinion about what that size is, but I found it very difficult to make a mug that fit my idea of "perfect size". I'd make what I thought was a perfectly-sized mug, but, since clay shrinks when it is fired, when I got it back after it was fired it had turned into this dinky little thing that just looked stupid (and had a bad handle, too..) So that's the background. Maybe six years ago, I gave one of the better mugs that I had made to my mother as part of her Christmas present. You know now Moms are: she expressed the requisite gratitude when she first saw it and told me how wonderful it was. I noticed, however, that for the next couple of days that I was there, she didn't use it. "Oh well," I thought.. A few days after I got home, I got an email from her saying that she had used my coffee mug and she just LOVED it. "Why," she wrote, "It's got a little place for my thumb on the handle!!" OK. That's REAL. She really did like my little mug. Over the years I tried to give her other mugs (one or two that I made, and also some from the gallery that I thought were nice) that also had "a little place for her thumb" on the handle, but none of them ever seemed to catch her fancy the way that first one did. It's the only mug she's used consistently since I gave it to her. You probably have guessed where this is going. Yesterday, I got an email from her saying: Now for the sad news. A few minutes ago, I walked into the kitchen carrying my favorite mug to refill it. Somehow, instead of setting it down on the counter, I managed to miss the counter and my favorite mug crashed to the floor. You may recall it was the one with the nice wide handle with the indented place for my thumb. I haven't used any other mug for ages. Coffee just doesn't taste right from any other. So sad. So sad. But, let's look at this from another perspective. Six years ago, if my mother had put that mug up in the basement closet with some of the other little art projects I brought home to her over the years, she'd still have it. Would she be happier now? Would she have thought of that mug every day and be glad to know that it would never break because it was stored away -- safely out of harm's way? I don't think so. My mother grew to really love that mug because she used it. It was part of her daily ritual and feeling "that little place for her thumb" gave her a comfortable pleasure. Now, back in August of 2005, I said that I agreed with Phil Rogers that there are some pots whose function it is to add beauty to the world, but in the case of the humble coffee mug... I believe strongly that it's all about "that little place for your thumb." Hope you're enjoying your summer. Have a good week. Back to the Newsletter Archive list Contact us to join the mailing list or inquire about a specific piece.
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