Clay and Coffee: The Story Behind the Mug
Brigit, co-founder of Alpenglow Coffee, first learned how to “throw” starting in high school. She immediately was entranced by the art that combined both function and creativity. Brigit started hand-building and on the wheel and quickly dedicated the rest of my studio time to the wheel. She later participated in "Art Fair on the Square" with other high school students selling work to support the art departments around Madison Wisconsin. After graduating, she went to college in central Minnesota at the College of Saint Benedict/ Saint John's University where she majored in Environmental Studies. Between her busy coursework and student activities she made her way back to the wheel and ultimately spent my final days in college with clay.
Handcrafted Alpenglow Ceramic Mug
During college, Brigit was lucky enough to take a class with the world-famous potter Richard Bresnahan, where she better understood the relationship that humans have with the natural world. Her work is constantly evolving as time goes on as she is inspired by nature and her environment. Brigit is currently throwing at the Pottery Lab in Boulder Colorado — where the Handcrafted Ceramic Alpenglow mugs are brought to life.
Starting from a chunk of clay, the clay is first wedged and then carefully weighed and rolled into one-pound balls.
From there each mug is hand thrown. (Throwing is the method in which the clay is transformed into a vessel, it is the twisting and pulling upward motion)
The mug is then left to dry until it is ready to attach the handles and trim the base to be smooth and uniform.
Once the finished mug is bone dry, it is first bisqued fired, then glazed, and then fired a second time until it is ready to use. The long and intricate process is crucial to the final product. If the piece isn’t fully dry or if the handles are too wet the piece will crack, glaze will run or will fall apart in the kiln.
We put time and effort into each mug.
Alpenglow mugs make the perfect addition to any cup of Alpenglow coffee. The Alpenglow logo shines through revealing the bare orangy glow of the stoneware. All of our mugs are dishwasher-safe and microwave-safe. They are also meant to last (as long as they aren’t dropped ;)
