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Liz Collinson Ceramics Newsletter

Beautiful forms and Gorgeous glazes

Design

I really enjoy good designed items, they make me smile, even laugh and can cause me to cry, yes seriously!!

Classic Designs in Nature

Nature has some fantastic designs. Take the hedgehog – it curls into a ball when scared because a sphere has the maximum volume with the smallest surface area.
Hedgehog-curled-up

Featured Designs

Round bottom mug
Gorgeous black glaze on this curvy mug winning combination and such a delight to hold.
Round bottom mug no handle
Handle less mugs in neutral colours, ideal for serving tea as seen in the Herbarium, Lancaster, UK..
Globe shaped jug
Thrown and turned sphere shaped Jug gives excellent pour with indents for holding. In new colour combo.

My Design Process

Design - a plan or drawing produced to show the look and function or workings of a building, garment, or other object before it is made.

A good design is when something stripped down to its most simple form, looks, functions and works beautifully.

The best design ever, in my opinion is the paperclip. It is so simple with no gimmicks, no frills, it functions perfectly and is a timeless classic.

When designing a mug, many things have to be considered such as its weight, shape and lip. How does it feel? How does it sit in your hands? Does it keep your hot drinks warm?

Nature has some fantastic designs. Take the hedgehog – it curls into a ball when scared because a sphere has the maximum volume with the smallest surface area. This means that it is less of a target, whilst in a ball. This knowledge transfers to us keeping our brew warm as heat is lost through the surface area.

By having rounded, curvaceous mugs, we get the maximum volume with the smallest surface area i.e. the smallest heat loss. I would like to think that my curvaceous mugs also keep your hands warm and are enjoyable to hold.

Standard straight up and down mug takes one process to make. My curvy mugs take two processes as they are thrown in a curvy shape and then turned, with precision, so that the thickness of clay is the same throughout. It is a labour of love which I consider worthwhile, so as to achieve a unique light curvaceous mug which is a real joy to use.

Turning a mug to reveal its inner design.

Watch this You Tube video.
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