Jess Parker

I just counted the number of espresso-sized cups I have on a shelf in my kitchen. There are 44. My husband uses exactly 2 of these cups. One is a small Ayumi Horie with a pink stripe around the bottom and a handle that fits just one finger. The other is a Sue Tirrell. It is white with a red rooster on it and no handle. This is his travel mug.

A few years ago I had some small bowls in an exhibition. I thought of them as cereal or ice cream-sized bowls but a friend purchased one and uses it for café au lait. In the morning he and his wife fight over who gets to use this bowl.

I have a huge mug made by Bradley Walters. It is shino glazed and has a great fitting waist you can hold it by instead of the handle if you want to warm your hands. It holds 3 cups of liquid. I love using this mug for tea.

I once heard Linda Christiansen respond to the question “what is your favorite pot?” Her response was “all my favorite pots are broken.”

It is in this spirit of the favorite pot, of being the 2 and not the 42, of being coveted and fought over, of generosity and comfort, or of being used and loved that I have made the cups for this show. I hope one of them strikes your sensibilities in a similar way.

Jess Parker
August 31, 2011