Nature inspired Mugs/Crockery

Above is a photo a a ceramic slab pot I created in 2019. The design is based around nature, depicting a bark like texture as well as a series of small bushes and a bunny’s head sticking out of one of the bushes in relief. When decorating the pot I used a matt oxide so that I could get more accurate colours on the ‘bark’ texture, as the thicker the oxide was applied the darker the colour became; I feel the colours used pays and important role in realism as well as adding to the pieces nature aesthetic. I loved creating this pot both because of working with the used material and working within the theme of nature. Looking at previous projects I produced  is inspiring as it encourages me to develop my work and style as an artist/maker. If able to work with ceramics I would like to develop this style of pottery and create a series of mugs/crockery inspired by nature and using similar textures/techniques as used on this slab pot.

MitraCeramica (MitraCeramica, 2021)

MitraCeramica is a Russian ceramics company run by a woman called Darya in St. Petersburg. Many of Darya’s creative designs are based around natural textures and African patterns. The above set of ceramics are designed around the textures found on a walnut tree, although each piece is different, Darya has utilised multiple aspects of a single source of inspiration to create a number of highly different pieces of crockery. I like Darya’s work as she has created a set of items which belong together despite sharing no similarities. I think this is a useful idea when applying to my own work as it can be used to ensure that not too much focus is placed on any individual components, but instead a much wider picture. Darya combines natural textures with functional ceramics to create interesting, partially stylised crockery, thus is inspirational to my own work as I want to create ceramics based around textures found in nature as well as forest animals.

Big Mouth Inc (BigMouth, 2021)

Big Mouth Inc is a novelty gift company based in Omaha, Nebraska. Although the company create many ceramic novelty gifts such as the mugs seen above, they also produce a wide range of gifts for every season and occasion. The first image is of a mug that doubles as a snack/doughnut holder, this is an intriguing concept and a design that I may consider exploring/developing within my own work as it would be interesting to see how I can combine multi-functional designs such as this with my nature inspired ideas. The second image is of a novelty mug in the shape of an oversized doughnut; enlarging the size of different aspect of my designs is something that I also may consider when developing my ideas as it both allows for a bigger sharing platform as well as gives a new perspective of art and functional ceramics.

Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2 (unknown, 2020)

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 is a 2013 3D-animated film based around a scientist/inventor who accidentally  creates an array of mutated food monsters/creatures. This is an interesting style of art as it focusses on personifying normally inanimate objects. Character can be added in interesting ways, primarily by focussing on adding recognisable animal features such as teeth and eyes using non-conventional means – an example of this is using sesame seeds as eyes. This is inspirational to my work as one of my initial design ideas was a series of sculptures that depict monsters made out of food. Some of the designs are purely one food, for example a strawberry with stem legs and arms, whilst others are a mix such as a burger spider with french-fry legs: both can be seen above. If I explore this ‘food monster’ direction of work, I will explore the different forms I can create with both natural and man-made foods and how I can make both sculptures and food vessels from these forms.

Fruit Shaped Crockery (AliExpress, 2020)

The above pieces of crockery were designed and produced by a Korean ceramic company. Despite having conventional shapes, they are noticeably vibrant with eye-catching colours based around a number of fruit. Their simple forms ease the process of mass-production, while at the same time mimicking the rounded shapes of the fruit they are inspired by. While they can be manufactured easily for high precision and replicability, they can also be prototyped quickly using pottery techniques such as throwing. This is a process I have an interest in exploring, and something that I hope to develop in the future to expand my current skills in ceramics; It would be interesting to see how I could develop basic thrown forms as seen above into sharing platters with interesting styles/designs.

Animal Inspired Utensils (MaviGadget, 2021)

The creator of these rabbit inspired food trays above is unknown. Even so, I believe it to be an interesting piece of work from which I can draw inspiration. The colours used in the above pieces are a simple white. This highlights the figurative aspect of the each piece, while providing contrast that does not draw attention away from the aesthetics of the food being presented. It also simplifies the process of colouring the item during production. This is an interesting point, as it demonstrates that simple colours can be used advantageously when applied correctly. The rabbit design links to my own design concepts, focussing on both my nature theme and general interest in animals.  Prototyping a piece such as this would be challenging, as replicating the complex shape of the each rabbit would be difficult, this process would also be more time consuming compared to more basic tray forms. The need to ensure the item is balanced is also noteworthy, as well as being structurally sound enough to support the weight of the food that will eventually be placed upon it. These are all aspects that I will need to consider in my own designs if I choose to create something of a similar nature. The use of animals to hold up various sharing platforms is a concept that is very interesting and makes me think of the Tim Burton film ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

Bibliography

AliExpress, 2020. 30.8US $ |Korean creative ceramic tableware suit hand painted lovely fruit bowl + spoon+ plate 3pcs/lot|ceramic tableware|plate bowlbowl spoon – AliExpress. [online] aliexpress.com. Available at: <https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32229305638.html?src=ibdm_d03p0558e02r02> [Accessed 2 March 2021]. – (AliExpress, 2020)

BigMouth, 2021. BigMouth Inc | Pool Floats, Giant Inflatables, Great Gift Ideas. [online] BigMouth Inc. Available at: <https://bigmouthinc.com/> [Accessed 2 March 2021]. – (BigMouth, 2021)

Etsy. 2021. Dinner set Ceramic plate Ceramic bowl by MitraCeramica on Etsy. [online] Available at: <https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MitraCeramica?ref=simple-shop-header-name&listing_id=865017422> [Accessed 2 March 2021]. – (MitraCeramica, 2021)

MaviGadget, 2021. Rabbit Ceramic Dessert Server Tray. [online] MaviGadget. Available at: <https://mavigadget.com/products/rabbit-ceramic-dessert-server-tray> [Accessed 2 March 2021]. – (MaviGadget, 2021)

unknown, 2020. Foodimals. [online] Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Wiki. Available at: <https://cloudywithachanceofmeatballs.fandom.com/wiki/Foodimals> [Accessed 2 March 2021]. – (unknown, 2020)