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.  

By Row, From top to Bottom: Cups By-
Isaac Howard, Gwendolyn Yoppolo, Jason Walker, Isaac Howard, Peter Brondz
Michael Simon, Steven Lee, Emily Schroeder Willis, Chris Staley, Jordan Jones
Brooke Noble, Brad Schwieger, Bryan Hopkins, Jack Troy, Wally Bivins
Brad Schwieger, Ellie Weber, Damian Grava, Chris Staley, Matt Long
George Rodriguez, Deb Schwartzkopf, Steve Godfrey, James Lobb, Chuck Aydltte, Jennifer Allen.

Row One:
Manufactured Chinese Teapots and Cups, Pit-fired Teapot from a village in Western China, Doug Peltzman Teapot, Peter Brondz Pitcher, Deb Schwartzkopf Teapot, Sam Chung Teapot.
Row Two:
Peter Brondz Growler, Mark Shapiro, Deb Schwartzkopf, Mike Jabbur, Kinu Watanabe Yixing Teapot