This little adventure actually began in October 2021. I was bike-packing with my cousins along the Katy Trail in Missouri when one of them presented us with an idea for his wedding. While pushing pedals under foot, rolling over lime stone gravel and passing the occasional ray of sunlight encroaching through the leafy canopy, he went on to describe his idea. He wanted to get different artists to make their version of a copita, which in English translates to “small cup”.
The copita dates back thousands of years and is primarily used to sip mezcal or tequila. It typically has a round rim and round body with a flat foot and generally holds between 1 to 3 ounces. The design is meant to get your nose close to the mezcal as you sip, to enjoy the full experience of the drink you choose. Traditionally they are made from clay, but other common materials are ceramic, stone, glass, and wood.
After a few months we settling on a few ideas they wanted for the wedding. Then, selecting the clay and purchasing materials .. I went to work making 60ish copitas.
I used a few sample pieces and molds to hand make each cup either by pushing clay in or wrapping around to get the desired shape. This technique was used to get the base shape consistent, but after that, I could have fun with texturing and manipulating the shapes.
After significant time to dry and then bisque firing all the cups to a cone 04 (1915 degrees Fahrenheit), I was able to start testing glazes and glaze combinations. Things I was looking for… Is it stable or will it run during the glaze fire? What happens when it interacts with a texture? Do the different glazes “play well together” or do they bubble or pimple? Do they look the best if I dip or brush the glaze… what about using a sponge to dab, or even spray? How many layers are needed to get the desired colors?
After testing, testing, and more testing, I was confident to start applying and testing the glaze combinations on the bisqueware copitas. I chose a few test cups that cracked or broke during the bisque fire.
Note the change that happens around the rim and textures is called “breaking”. Notice the glaze “breaking” around the rim in the image above. The image below shows the “action” of the glazes, which describes the downward movement or what looks like the top layer (white) melting over the bottom layer (blue).
Everything still looks great… Let’s glaze the rest!
With the size of my kiln I could fire 16-25 cups at once, so it took me 3 firings to complete the copitas. Each firing took up to 24 hours to complete, 8-12 hours to heat up to cone 6 (2165 degrees Fahrenheit) and 12 hours to cool down.
I was so happy how they turned out and with the reception they received. I was even happier to give to the already stellar experience that was the celebration of two amazing people.