Toasting Cups

Created: Spring 2002

Dimensions: 12 1⁄2”x5 1⁄2”x3 1/16”

Materials: copper, brass, silver plate, patina

Concept: This assignment was open. We could make whatever we wanted. My sister was getting married in September and I wanted to make something for her. Although,as the maid of honor,I neglected to make a toast, these are her and her husband’s toasting cups.

I decided I wanted to use two cone shapes to form an hourglass shape. Both cups started from the same form. I took them in two different directions, the natural and the linear.

The natural one was inspired by dried leaves from my home. It was made with 20-gauge copper, chased and repoussed, and then silver plated. I used a cool liver of sulphur to get a colorful patina.

The other was inspired by my sister’s career as an architectural engineer. I wanted a graceful curve and simple lines. I used 18-gauge brass and silver plated it. Then I removed the plating from the brass wires. I was pleased with the way these turned out and so was my sister. I only regret that I didn’t have enough funds to make them out of silver instead of plating.

Concept Sketches

Kissing Cup

Created: 2002

Dimensions: 9 1/2"x7"x7"

Materials: Copper, cast bronze, patina

Concept: The assignment was to create something incorporating castings. I wanted to create a cup that incorporating castings made from wax molding of my face. The 'mouth' of the vessel would be the mouth of the casting. Therefore to drink from the vessel you would have to 'kiss' it. The container was made of an inner sealed chamber which was filled from below through the 'neck'. This was punctured just below the level of the mouth to allow the water to fill the space between the inner and outer chamber only up to a level below the mouth. This allowed the vessel to be completely filled to the top but not overflow out the mouth.