This mug features imagery inspired by places and experiences from my recent trip to Japan! This one in particular features two pairs of Shisa, which are creatures from Okinawan folklore that look like a cross between a lion and a dog and guard both rooftops and house entrances.

This mug is handmade with love: wheel-thrown and decorated by hand. Each ball of clay has its own shape, and I try to listen to the form as I’m throwing – so it is rare for any two to end up exactly the same, which means each mug ends up being unique and one of a kind.

The surface decoration on these pieces is a combination of two processes – sgraffito and Mishima. Sgraffito involves painting on underglaze and then carving through it, and Mishima is inlaying underglaze into existing carvings. I then went back in and hand-painted the glazes. As you can imagine, these take quite a while!

The bottom half of the piece is bare clay and a more earthy, tactile experience, and the top half is glaze. And every handle is finished with a thumb nub that is also unglazed to add to the overall comfort of holding the piece.

All mugs are food, microwave, and dishwasher safe, although hand washing is recommended for any handmade ceramic piece.

I do the best I can to accurately photograph these pieces using natural lighting, but glaze colors can appear differently in various lighting environments.

If you have any questions, please feel free to message me, I am happy to help answer them!