You will know well that sinking feeling when a favourite piece of crockery gets broken. You try to not mind
“Its only a thing and that isn’t what matters in life”
but none-the-less, there is the annoyance at your stupidity for allowing it to slip through your fingers and also the regret that you will no longer be able to use it or to admire it sitting on the shelf.
I bought eight coffee cups some years ago from design emporium, The Conran Shop in London. I was delighted when I found them: the turquoise glaze matches the tiles in my kitchen, they have sloping sides making them more of a cup than a mug and they were made by a company called Wonki Ware which perfectly described their handmade imperfections. They proved to be the ideal size for a cappuccino and are most pleasing to drink from.
Inevitably, with time, some got cracked or broken and of my remaining five cups, all but one have hairline cracks in them, caused, I think, by putting them in the dishwasher. I decided I should stop using them because I valued them too much for their aesthetic value to allow any more to become damaged. But a frothy coffee in a mug just doesn’t cut it as far as I’m concerned. I decided I would have to buy some replacements.
I searched for Wonki Ware on the internet and discovered that the South African company still exists and is still producing its handmade, artisanal tableware but not, sadly, my lovely cups. What was I to do?
I put a search into Google for “Turquoise, conical coffee cups”. Plenty of options appeared and I scrolled through them endlessly – the colour seemed not to be an issue – turquoise in abundance - but there was nothing that closely resembled my cups.
I resigned myself to having to find something completely different, but just then, I spotted some very pleasing stoneware mugs with the same kind of part-glaze as my cups, although in a terracotta colour rather than turquoise. They seemed to be from an individual maker instead of a retailer, so perhaps she could adapt her design to my specifications. Her name was Janice Gravett. Through a bit of detective work I found an email address and sent a message.
“Hello Janice, Do you take commissions?”
I went on to explain what I was looking for. The reply came back almost immediately
“Just posted the turquoise glaze that I am using this year!
It would be a pleasure to make some coffee cups for you and follow Conran which I so admire! Those large bicolour cups are £10 each”
“£10!” I thought. This seems so reasonable especially when a maker is adapting a design to produce something specific that she wouldn’t normally make. But she had clearly recently decided to use a turquoise glaze so that was a good start. Excellent! She asked could I send pictures and dimensions to give her a guide. Once I had done so, her response came back
“Hi Susy,
Thank you for those images and the measurements of your cappuccino cups, really useful. The height would be very helpful! The shape is good too. Normally I position handles closer to the rim to ensure good balance when handling. Are you thinking bicolour too, namely, soft inside with turquoise exterior or full colour? And that glazing on the handle is complicated, I wonder if the cups were hand glazed with brush on. Normally I dip in glaze”.
“Goodness” I thought “who knew there was so much to think about when making ceramics?”
I had no clue about her final question! I sent a reply
“In answer to the questions you asked: The height of my existing cups is 8.8 cm. Wherever you wish to position the handles is fine by me. I’d like bi-colour if possible, as these are, so cream on the inside and turquoise on the outside. No problem if the handle also has to be coloured”.
Janice came back to say she would be happy to have a go at making for me. She would produce one cup for my approval and then, provided I liked it, go ahead and make the others. There would be a bit of a delay as she was preparing for a forthcoming ceramics fair. No problem. If I ended up with what I wanted, I was quite prepared to be patient.
It occurred to me then, that she might be miles away from me at the other side of the country and thus, would have to send me the first cup for approval. Serendipitously, she is local – only a few miles away and a few weeks later was taking part in Artists’ Open Houses. She invited me to visit and said she would have my first cup made and fired by then. Exciting!
Several Sundays later, I parked outside her home and followed the signs to let myself in through the side gate. French windows were open onto the sunny garden and just inside I found an extremely jolly and smiling woman who turned out to be Janice, along with her friend Lydia, another ceramicist, who was exhibiting her work there too. We had a lively conversation as I admired their work and then Janice disappeared and came back with my first cup in her hand.
“What do you think?” she asked
It’s always a scary moment when one is asked to comment on an artist’s work. What can you say if you don’t like it. Fortunately, it wasn’t a problem on this occasion.
“Oh that’s so lovely!” I responded “and it feels so nice to hold”
“So, you’re happy for me to proceed with the rest of them?”
“Absolutely!”
I stayed on a while as we talked about potters’ shows locally and it occurred to me that a good friend of mine, who has recently moved to this area and is also a ceramicist, might like to meet Janice and Lydia. I told them about her work and we found it on Instagram. Lydia recognised it from exhibiting at one of the big London fairs.
“We should be delighted to meet her” said Janice.
Two weeks later, Penny and I went to see Janice and Lydia and while they talked all things ceramics, I browsed in Janice’s garden studio and admired my new cups. Penny got an invite to apply for some of the local ceramics fairs which will suit her brilliantly and help her sell more of her distinctive work.
My new cups are at home now, sitting on the shelf in my kitchen alongside my original cups. I love the colour: the turquoise glaze is almost identical. In truth, they are not as conical as my originals, and some are a little more mug-like. But they are delightful none-the-less.
Because they are handmade, each one is different, they vary in shape and size and being of thicker stoneware, they are much more robust than the old ones. I am content they will crack and break much less easily and should hopefully last for years to come. If not, Janice is more than happy to make me some more. I feel delighted to have given work to a local artist and, in the process, found replacements for the cups I like so much.
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You’re reading Home Truths, a newsletter from me, Susy Smith. I am many things: a parent of grown-up kids, a dog owner, a gardener and a compulsive mover of vases (I worked for years as a stylist). I am also a writer/editor and former Editor-in-Chief of British Country Living Magazine.
I write here on an eclectic mix of subjects about life, and a few of the lessons I’ve learned along the way.
I think so too, but lovely to hear your reaction to this piece. Thanks, as always. Susy
These are beautiful and what a fab colour. So lovely that they were created just for you.