Cups and Saucers

So, I grew up in a pretty traditional Irish-American household. Lots of tea drinking.

Usually from some chipped cups in the cupboard, and in a low bowl used as a saucer, that I would pour the tea into to cool off faster. Yes, I grew out of that.

My Mom collected fancy cup and saucer sets. As we grew up we were allowed to use them for dessert-time on family holidays. Each one had a very unique personality – we even named some of them. Everyone had their favorite.

So one of the fun items I tried this year was my own version of collectible cups and saucers. They were a lot of fun to make, and as I sat down to decorate them I hit a roadblock – so hard! It now makes total sense that factories had specialized ‘decorators’ who never made the forms. It is a totally separate mindset.

bisqued cups and saucers, ready to decorate!

I have always been a fan of the Bloomsbury Group. The lush, decorative interiors are just the sort of world I’d love to crawl into. I remember reading about Quentin Bell, Vanessa Bell’s son, on growing up in that household. He trained as a potter, and had a studio set up at Charleston, their country house:

‘For many years after the war, when Quentin was married and living far from Charleston in the north of England, he would return with his family, and work in the pottery during the holidays. Duncan and Vanessa loved to find a pristine set of cups and saucers newly fired and ready to be painted – rather to Quentin’s chagrin, for he was looking forward to painting them himself!’

from ‘CHARLESTON A Bloomsbury House and Garden’

by Quentin Bell & Virginia Nicholson

I wish Vanessa and Duncan could visit, and steal away my bisqued cups & saucers!

Here are my attempts – Day of the Dead, with a Mexican influence, and Kitchen wallpaper (self-explanatory).

Inside Day of Dead cup, and the saucer