I had been wanting to do a series of sgraffito cups featuring the shorebirds I see on my beach walks for some time: plovers, avocets, pelicans, herons, egrets, and sandpipers. I especially love watching the plovers run up and down the water’s edge and looking for critters to eat. I enjoy the pelicans’ formations and their striking dives from mid-air. The herons and egrets stealthy tip-toeing as they hunt is also interesting to watch, and the flurry of black and white when a flock alights is always inspiring. If I could grow wings and fly, I would do it in a heartbeat.
I wanted to capture the spirited movement and energy of the shorebirds more than their representational image, and I hope that comes across in these cups. To show the process, I’m posting pictures below of the carved slip before it is bisque fired and also after it is glaze with clear and fired again.
