OAK STREET ART
  • Home
  • Art Fair
  • Community
  • Events
  • About Us / Artists
    • Luca Cruzat (printmaking)
    • Stephanie Dillard (stained glass)
    • Sue Gindlesparger (metals, jewelry)
    • Darby Ortolano (ceramics)
    • Cathy Schmidt (leather)
    • Madeline Steimle (glass and illustration)
  • Blog
  • Mural

Art in Everyday Life: When Is a Mug Not "Just" a Mug? (with Rachel Malcolm Ensor)

9/20/2017

1 Comment

 

Painter and Oak St. Art Group member Rachel Malcolm Ensor talks about art in everyday life.

My husband and I support our local community by making purchases in our community. Recently we refined our goal even more by deciding to purchase handmade items for our home, particularly our kitchen, from artists in the area. Also when we go out of town, we seek out galleries and make purchases as we can.  Our most recent goal is to collect mugs made by artists, particularly really well-known artists, because this way, we can have something that is a specific work of art that we use every day, So we're integrating art into our daily lives.  
This connects to the idea of the Bauhaus in early 20th century Germany, that art should be part of our every day experience: The teapot should be a work of art, the glass we drink out of should be a work of art, and the chair we sit in should be a work of art.  We already had an extensive collection of art and artifacts, but they're not utilitarian. So this is a new thing for us, and we are loving it. 
As a friend of mine told me about bookmarks that I make, "You know, every time I read that book and use your bookmark, I think of you." And we do the same thing when we drink out of a cup made by [ceramic artists] Darby Ortolano or Rob Lorenz. We think of them and appreciate their artistry.

Posted by Ann Fischer on behalf of Rachel Malcolm Ensor
1 Comment
Darby Ortolano
9/20/2017 08:37:11 pm

Thank you Rachel! From this potter's perspective, handmade mugs can be powerful transmitters of energy. Ha, I know that sounds very woo woo, which I am not, but there is a reason that potters, and many other people, such as Rachel, collect handmade mugs. Simply put, they are made by hand, and are used by hand. Handles are particularly important, because many handles are made by literally "pulling" a lump of clay until it is the right thickness, shape and length to fulfill it's purpose. And most people chose mugs that feel right when they hold them. So in an essence you are holding hands with the person who made it!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    September 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    August 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017

    Categories (Alphabetical)

    All
    Ann R. Fischer
    Artist Studios
    Art: Thoughts & Process
    Cathy Schmidt
    Community Engagement
    Darby Ortolano
    Exhibits And Sales
    Luca Cruzat
    Media & News
    Murphysboro
    Music
    Oak Street Fine Arts Fair
    Rachel Malcolm Ensor
    Selfie Station
    Shirley Krienert
    Stephanie Dillard
    Sue Gindlesparger

    RSS Feed

Website feedback?
  • Home
  • Art Fair
  • Community
  • Events
  • About Us / Artists
    • Luca Cruzat (printmaking)
    • Stephanie Dillard (stained glass)
    • Sue Gindlesparger (metals, jewelry)
    • Darby Ortolano (ceramics)
    • Cathy Schmidt (leather)
    • Madeline Steimle (glass and illustration)
  • Blog
  • Mural