Everyday things, collected over time, tell the story of our lives. They’re reminders of the people we love and places we’ve been. It makes me happy to use things that hold memories for me, like these coffee mugs, which I painted the other day in my 7″ x 10″ Canson Montval watercolor sketchbook.
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| Watercolor with Noodler’s Lexington Grey ink, 7″ x 10″ |
Like most people, my cupboard holds a collection of mugs that I’ve picked up on our travels or that were given to me by friends. It’s fun to pick out the one that fits my mood for the day.
Sometimes, I want to remember a wonderful vacation to a place not too far away…
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or one halfway around the world…
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Occasionally, I pick up this mug and smile, remembering the story of my son, who worked at a Benihana restaurant when he was in high school, coming home one night all excited, saying that actress Sarah Jessica Parker had sipped coffee from this mug that very evening!
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Some days, I want to remember the friends whom I haven’t seen for way too long…
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or my sweet sister who’s always been there for me…
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Then there are those days when I just want the familiar comfort of this rounded, cream-colored mug with its cheery little blue flowers. For some reason, it’s the one I use most days. Hmm, I wonder what that says about me – that this is the one that feels just right.
For another take on painting coffee mugs, check out Jamie Williams Grossman’s gridded mug sketch on her Hudson Valley Sketches blog.
2 Comments
I love your collection of mugs! And I love your sketches of them too! I recently began collecting teacups. I think they will be feature in some of my future sketches. There's something about them isn't there?
I can see how happy these make you! Thanks for sharing the happiness, they make me happy too.