Revisiting an old idea

The semester is nearly over, and I couldn't be more ready for a break. I'm currently waiting for a kiln to reach temp *fingers crossed*. The electric kilns around here haven't been doing too well, which means I'll be super familiar with the alpine gas kilns by the end of next semester--a goal of mine nonetheless.

ANYWHO for those of you who've been following my artistic career for a while know I've made several different renditions of the emoticups. I made my first set in pottery one and my professor (and dear mentor) loved them. I've toyed with the idea a few times but as I was concentrating more on sculpture academically I didn't devote much time to really developing it.

Fast forward four years and here I am in a post baccalaureate putting a face on nearly every form I make. I thought I would get sick of it, but the more time I spend on the wheel and sculpting faces, the more I grow to love it. I've been working on defining my aesthetic, refining my process, and exploring where can I go with this. So far I'm pretty happy with the results. I've taken away unnecessary elements and added more color. I've also made the switch to porcelain; I never expected to like it as much as I do this time around. I've developed a process that makes nearly every step so much more enjoyable.

It's pretty cool to see the different stages my emoticups have gone through, but the first set might always be my favorite.