Slowly Getting To Know The Cup, And The Rest
by Jake Fetterman

The importance of having handmade things is something that I think about on a daily basis. The feel of them, looking at them, trying to understand the context in which they were made are all a part of the use and my relationship with the object. Coming to Rat City Studios and Garden in July, I was instantly enamored with Deb’s cup collection, containing artists from all over the country. Many of these artists I had only seen in magazines and online, but being a very tactile person, just seeing them in a picture was never enough. Being able to get know these objects helps me with my work and my process. Seeing how a certain handle feels or how a rim is turned over or how the texture feels influences my actions when I make my work because I will try attributes within work that I like and I will not use attributes that I know that I don’t like because I get to experience them on a daily basis. The slow process of getting to know a handmade object over time through use is extremely important to me to refine my work and make what I make. Using handmade things brings me great pleasure and I am excited to contribute to that.