A Cup With Two Ears

This little two-handled cup has been with me for about two years now. I first made it after reading some Etsy reviews where people were looking for cups with two handles—I hadn’t known before that for some, holding a regular cup can be tricky.

While making it, I didn’t focus only on that need; I wanted it to feel sweet and a bit playful too. The handles turned into ears, a tiny nose appeared in the front, and suddenly it became more like a character than just a cup.

It’s still one of my favorites, maybe because it carries both a story and a smile.

This Morning, a Bridge to Terabithia Memory

This morning, I woke up remembering a film that had been locked away in my mind. I watched it again, and it opened doors to feelings I had kept hidden for years, feelings I hadn’t even realized. My cat and dog were in my lap, a calm and peaceful day around me, and I found myself transported back to my childhood. My feet in long Converse, listening to Barış Manço on the cassette player perched on the trunk of the plum tree, the treehouse my father built for me… That memory felt so distant, as if it had never happened.

Sometimes the attic, sometimes the treehouse, sometimes the gardens, the trees… The colorful, vibrant nature of my child’s mind, the endless stories I built and destroyed, and the painting dreams where I quietly expressed myself. Those dreams have guided me throughout my life, making me think in images, feel in colors. That freedom, the boundless space of childhood, still breathes quietly within me.

As I grew, I lost trust in the outside world. I was blamed for my lack of social skills, and in trying to improve, that blame became my inner voice; I constantly questioned myself, feeling alien and distant from the expectations around me. It distanced me from my own abilities. There were choices I made that I couldn’t undo, I lost precious things—but today, looking back, I can accept that even if I lived those days again, I would likely make similar choices. Most of it happened beyond my control, and only now can I make peace with that. With acceptance and self-forgiveness, the reactions my body used to have have started to ease.

For years, I saw my desire to create painting as a curse and suppressed it. Even if I hadn’t suppressed it, I had become unable to paint. Today, as I take a step back, I realize that the treehouse my father built for me—and the world of imagination it held—has been by my side, perhaps in ways I didn’t fully understand. For years, in anger and feeling unworthy and misunderstood, I drifted away from my painting dreams. Now, I have decided to open up to the people who will be by my side in my dreams, even if they are afraid of me or don’t fully understand me, and who are open to love me.

I understand the feelings Jess experienced that day when he didn’t invite Leslie to the museum, and the regret he felt. Even though I have faced my own experiences, I can now recognize the beauty of every precious thing I have lived, and I will keep reminding myself that I need to continue on my path in their memory. Today, even if I only make small experiments in the studio, I want to seek again the freedom I felt as a child, and enjoy painting without blaming myself—for that little girl in long Converse, like any little child who just wants to play with colors and shapes and enjoys it.

Dancing Figures, Relief Ceramic Tile

 

Nudibranch Glaze

 

a Secret Salt Shaker

 While working on the secret salt shaker, my main focus was creating a design that was both functional and included the hidden hole surprise. Shaping the clay on the wheel required careful attention to keep the walls thin and balanced; the bottom hole needed to be durable while still working smoothly.

 

Working on the wheel was very instructive, as it allowed me to spot and correct small imperfections immediately. I adjusted the volume and balance with the surprise in mind, considering how the salt would pour. After drying, the high-fire firing made the piece strong and smooth. Applying the glaze was critical too; I experimented to achieve an aesthetic finish without affecting the bottom hole or overall balance.

The result is a handmade, slightly unique salt shaker—functional but also playful. Working on the wheel and bringing this design to life taught me a lot, especially about proportion and balance.

 

By the way, I reopened my Etsy shop today after many years!  I also got my website for KupObjects ready and added some products—there’s still room for growth, of course. I’ve been wanting to create my own site on Cargo.site for a long time, and now it’s finally done.

White Matte and Nudibranch Tests

Over the past few days in the studio, I’ve been testing a white matte glaze as well as another glaze called Nudibranch on a series of small bowls, to see how they behave on different clay bodies

The blue nudibranch in the center and the bowl above it were glazed with the same base but with a blue colorant added. All the other bowls are coated with the plain white matte breaking base glaze. The interesting part? Even though the recipe was exactly the same, the results came out quite different because of the clay bodies.

On light clay bodies, the glaze fired to a cool, silky matte white. On warmer-toned clays, it developed subtle brown speckles and the breaking effect became more pronounced, especially along the rims, where it really highlights the shape and texture.

Opening the kiln and spotting these small differences is still the most exciting part for me. Same glaze, same firing — yet completely different results depending on the clay. That’s exactly why I love testing.

 

Spirals

Small plates fresh out of the kiln today.

I worked with a spiral-centered form;
The glaze results are simple but soft in their transitions — each piece seems to have found its own little character.

These small pieces feel good to make — both as tests and as part of the making process itself.

 

My New Kiln Has Arrived, Nabertherm Top 60 and AC590

Today my new ceramic kiln arrived. Early in the morning my Nabertherm Top 60 was delivered equipped with the AC590 controller. As soon as I unpacked it I started the initial firing program which is designed to slowly remove any moisture inside the kiln. It’s still running as I write this.

Previously I had been using an old Keramikos kiln which I had bought second-hand. It was already quite aged when it came into my studio. Although it served me well for a time it started to show signs of wear, and technical support was almost non-existent. I struggled for weeks just to replace a kiln wire. Eventually I gave up trying to reach the supplier and began sourcing parts elsewhere, learning to repair it myself along the way. That kiln accompanied me through three years of making but in the end even turning it on required balancing a pen on a chair to press the power button. It still works so I’ve decided to keep it for occasional use.

This new kiln feels like a complete shift — both technically and emotionally.
The AC590 controller brings a whole new level of control and precision to my process. It allows me to store up to 50 custom firing programs each with up to 40 segments. This means I can design every stage of the firing process in detail with full control over ramps, holds, and peak temperatures.

The interface is user-friendly with a large color display that makes programming straightforward. It even includes a built-in assistant called “Conny” which simplifies the setup by guiding me through the essential settings — such as cone value, speed, and hold time — in just a few steps.

But what impressed me most was its integration with a mobile app. I can now monitor the firing process from my phone — tracking current progress, time remaining, and any errors or alerts in real time. I receive notifications when the program finishes or if anything unexpected occurs.

The kiln also features USB data export allowing me to save and review firing data later. This is incredibly useful for analyzing results, comparing tests, and building a consistent, documented workflow. There’s even the option to write programs on a computer and transfer them directly to the kiln.

I hadn’t planned to get something this advanced but now that I have it I’m committed to working in a more disciplined, planned and data-driven way.

With this kiln I also plan to transition to Cone 9 firings. That means I’ll finally be able to test glazes I’ve only dreamed of before and re-visit old experiments under proper high-fire conditions. More tests more clarity and — I hope — more consistent results.

Preparing for My New Kiln and Testing

 I tried to match the lines and the texture of the plaster plates in every figure. The movement of the dancing figures is more clear because of the small bumps on the surface. The girl’s portrait is simple and calm, but it shows expression with the natural roughness of the material. Some details were tests to see the limits of the material.

These works are not just drawings; they are also important steps for me to understand how the plaster and glazes work together on the ceramic surface. When I fire them in my new kiln, I will learn more about the relationship between the material and the form.

Recently I have been making tests on different plaster plates to make molds. They are not dry yet, so I can’t finish or use them. But I bought a new kiln! It is coming from a factory in Germany, so I need to wait a little. I don’t want to fire these tests in my old kiln because I want to wait for the new one to make the first adjustments and tests.

When my new kiln arrives I plan to work mostly at cone 9-10 temperatures. I will try new glazes and clays to find the best results. The part I like most is not making many products but spending time trying and testing. Now, I keep the works I like and that work well, but I don’t make many copies yet. That time will come with the new kiln.

Because of the warm weather, the small plates are almost dry, but I will wait to fire them until my kiln arrives. After the first settings and firings, I will start to fire these tests.

Testing Clay as Grog

 A few months ago I decided to make my own grog. I started by drying out some of my red and black clays then crushed and sieved them into different particle sizes. After bisque firing the crushed pieces I mixed them back into fresh clay and made a series of small tests.

Visually the grogs from both clays behaved quite similarly once mixed in. At first I thought the red grog had completely melted away but after the second firing I could still spot both the red and black particles—though only if I looked closely. Especially under a thin layer of transparent glaze, it was hard to distinguish them in the final pieces.

Texture-wise the grog size made a noticeable difference on the surface feel but in terms of color or contrast the results weren’t as striking as I had expected. I used fairly high grog ratios but I enjoy pushing materials a bit and seeing what happens when control gives way to play.

These kinds of small tests often start spontaneously in the studio, but end up leading to more serious thoughts. I’ll keep experimenting with different ratios and glazes to better understand how the material responds.