Our upcomming visits to Santa Clara and Campbell March 23 & 24

          For the last few months I have been experimenting with "Frog mugs," a British tavern tradition from the late 1700's. I was working on a memorial tea set, for which each cup was unique to each family member. One requested cup was to have a sculpted frog in it, because of a shared interest in frogs between father and son.

          Mugs of this type became a tavern phenomenon in England in the late 1700's, persisting through the 1800's. They were made by traditional potters, and quickly adopted by the new industrial pottery practitioners such as Wedgewood. They would often have features and inscriptions commemorating special occasions, proverbs, historic moments, etc.. These Frog mugs, also known as "Sunderland mugs," evolved from an older tradition of puzzle jugs. 

           It took me a few tries to achieve genuinely frog-like results, as if they could jump out of the cup. The first few looked as much like dogs or cats. For now I am sticking with the 16 ounce pint size, in keeping with the old tavern tradition. I expect that these pieces will evolve in several directions in my workshop.

           In a month or so, I will be resuming my profession full-time, and spending a lot more time making pottery. I will be visiting several markets I have been away from since before the Covid-19 lockdown. See you soon, -Scott

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