The new year is always a good time to take a look at what you do. See what you like, what you don't like and make some changes. Right now I'm thinking about handles. I like them to be lively and fresh and interesting but then again, I need them to be comfortable. Always a bit of a compromise. Some handles allow the cup to sit perfectly balanced in your hand, full or empty, while others make the cup slip to the side so you have to really concentrate (or use 2 hands) to keep it upright. The handle also needs to fit with the character of the pot. Small, fussy, ornate handles don't work with my more robust forms just as chunky, pulled handles would look jarringly out of place on a delicate, porcelain teacup. Early on my handles tended to be a bit big, springing out much farther than needed. Now I try to keep a shallower profile. Mugs get 1-2 finger handles, beer mugs 3-4 and jugs just enough room for a good hand grip. And not too thin and not too thick.
Here are a few recent handles, looking not that different from the back but quite different from the side.
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| Two mugs on the right have handles pulled from the bottom. |
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| regular mug handle a bit too thin at the bottom |
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| Rounder cup handle |
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| Regular handle but thicker |
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| handle pulled from the bottom. |
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| Mugs from my cupboard - Ron Vallis, Linda Christianson, Sandy Lockwood, Cathi Jefferson, Paul Dressang. All require a different grip. The one on the top right - Sandy Lockwood - though looking thin is perfectly balanced and very comfortable to hold. |
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| More mugs - Michael Kline, Willem Geben, Cameron Stewart, Mary Law, Sam Uhlick - with handles ranging from fingertip grip to whole hand. |
