Cut Cups — Lois Harbaugh

Cut Cups

The exploration that led to “Cut Cups” began by slicing and dicing my signature teacup and recombining the parts. Eventually the cups became totally non-functional and abstract.

“Cut Cup, Red” was an early favorite: non-functional, but clearly a vessel, retaining a sense of “cupness.”

“Cut Cup Chartreuse” can look very different , depending on the angle of the camera.

This is also “Cut Cup Chartreuse.”

Cut Cups

I was invited to donate 6 cups to a cup show. I found myself doing something I called “Cut Cups.”

I took my signature cup and sliced it and diced it and rebuilt it in non-functional ways. As I recombined the cups, the structures grew complex. I realized if I added color, I could make that complexity work for me. I started playing a game where every surface was a different color of under-glaze. The cups were like miniature color field paintings — fun, because no one angle revealed all the colors.