Journal Entry #2: Cups without handles

Think about the cup. How much has the design of the cup changed over history?...not very much. Other than changing the size, shape and color of the cup, the same basic design has stuck through the history books, so simple, and so very important.

Cups appeal to me the most because you can always make so many different designs with cups, not one cup is ever the same. Everyday we all use a cup at one point in time, but we never take a second to really look at that cup and admire its beauty. Even though most of the cups we use are Styrofoam as extremely ugly, but that’s neither here nor there….

The cups that catch my eye the most are the ones that are in fact made with ceramics. Not just the colors that I can see visually, but the texture on my fingers when I pick it up. I know that I have a good grip. A good example of texture and color would be this cup made by Greg Van Dusseldorp.

Another appealing aspect to me is the weight that ceramic cups have to offer. A heavy cup that sits perfect in my hand is an amazing feeling. Not only do you know that you have a sturdy cup that is going to help you quench your thirst, but at the same time you can work on your biceps with some curls. 

   This cup has it all, amazing colors, design, great texture, and the most important part, heavy feel to it (or so it looks).

Journal Entry #2: "Cups Without Handles"

When I first looked at the assignment, I was a little confused at the thought of a cup without a handle. Just the wording of it threw me off. But sitting here, typing this out now, it hit me that cups don't have handles. Duh.
Otherwise it would be called a mug.

Cup:                                                   Mug:

Kind of a no-brainer. 

But anyway, cups without handles. I drink from a cup every day, several times a day even, but I never really take the time to look at the design of it and appreciate it. Probably because I don't drink out of fancy, hand-made, ceramic cups on a regular basis. There are so many cool cup ideas that people come up with, it's crazy. The cup and mug examples I used are so visually intriguing to me, hence why I used them to begin with. But still, the alternating color of the cups are awesome. So is the shape and how it looks broken up into sections. 

Then there are cups that are still just a simple cup, but they're so much more than that. 

Take this cup for example:

Can this cup hold liquid? Yes.. It's a cup.
Does it have handles? No, therefore "cup without handles".
Is it art? Of course, someone made it.
Is it cool? Uhhh... Yes!

I mean, look at it. It almost looks like a square. And look at the bottom! It looks so simple, but so complex and cool at the same time. I wish I could throw a set of cups like this and use them all the time. I love the glaze used on it to. Well done, John Chwekun. You made an awesome no-handled cup.

This is an interesting cup as well. Such a simple, but complicated design. I like how the shape of the piece speaks for itself without needing to have an intricate glaze pattern on it. Clean, crisp, refreshing. Drinking ice cold water out of this would be sublime.  

Source: http://accessceramics.org/

naked cups.

            

The cold weather is coming so fast. In my opinion there is nothing better than wrapping your hands around a nice hot steaming cup of hot coco for as long as possible...

                                                 but who were the first to invent them?


 


Cups without handles came from different areas in the world. The cups that were made specifically for drinking tea were seen in Europe and were imitations made in Meissen.  However, they were all mainly imported from Imari, Japan.




In Eritrea, Africa is also another place where cups without handles were first seen. Mainly used for drinking their traditional coffee, "Boon".


"Large handle-less cups are used for green tea. Tea made during the Japanese tea ceremony is served in tea bowls that can be held in both hands. For informal tea drinking another type of tea cup called a Yunomi is used. Unlike the tea bowl, the yunomi is higher than it is wide, and is usually made of a ceramic material." (www.teagenius.com)
 
So if you've ever wondered who started making cups without handles, you now know! The first seen were in Europe but were made in Japan. Africa also started making these types of cups for their traditional coffee. For more information about the different types of cups without handles and their many uses go to: www.teagenius.com