Scorched Earth
2017
Wheel-thrown, raku-fired clay
3 cups, each 5-5.5" h. and 3-3.25" dia.
These cups are literally made of "scorched earth" and also have textures reminiscent of dry, cracked dirt. The cups are further decorated with simple geometric shapes, which, in the context of the dry-earth texture, have profound implications. A black circle suggests a deep hole, a crater, or an eclipse; a large yellow-orange circle conveys the sun's scorching heat; and a grid of thin black lines is reminscent of a cage or fence. Together, the cups evoke images of treacherous terrain, ominous astronomical events, extreme weather, restricted movement, and defined borders.
This dark imagery is contradicted by the cups' function as drinking vessels. Cups are used to contain and consume beverages, of which water is usually the primary ingredient. Water is required for sustaining all life, yet in the arid, hostile world that the cups conjure, this free-flowing, universally-nourishing substance is noticeably absent.