in WOW

Glistening Geode Mugs Embedded with Clusters of Lifelike Crystals

by viralbandit September 4, 2017, 7:42 pm 1.6k Views

Geode Mug Crystal Mug Silver Lining Ceramics Katie Marks

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, My Modern Met may earn an affiliate commission. Please read our disclosure for more info.

Earlier this year, self-taught ceramicist Katie Marks of Silver Lining Ceramics dazzled us with her luminous drinking vessels. Bursting with crystalline clusters and covered in cosmic patterns, these pieces showcase the artist’s sculptural skills and have undoubtedly inspired her more recent collection of glistening geode mugs.

Citing minerals as her muse, Marks beautifully incorporates a love of geology into her practice. Though each stunning geode mug features a standard silhouette, Marks makes each one unique with her additional embellishments. Employing a sculptural technique, each mug is seemingly sliced open, unexpectedly revealing a cavity filled with crystals. Lined with glistening gold paint, these realistic ruptures transform the mugs from well-crafted wares to ethereal works of art.

Like her older works, Marks’ collection of geode mugs expertly explores “the play between taking something that they earth does so beautifully and adding [a] human element to it.” Each piece is carefully handmade by the artist. To craft each crystalline creation, she first throws the piece on the potter’s wheel. Once she has formed the foundation of the piece, she sculpts and attaches the tiny crystals. Finally, the entire piece is coated in a natural, hand-mixed glaze, and fired in the kiln at a high heat (2,232 degrees Fahrenheit), which makes each piece both shiny and solid as a rock—literally!

If you’d like to get your hands on your own crystallized creation, check out the Silver Lining Ceramics Etsy shop.