Pottery
I make pottery with a purpose, meaning functional art with a flair for the whimsical and dark meant to inspire and fascinate. From writerly merch to fantasy-inspired tavern mugs, at Night Craft Co. I design functional geekware. Some examples of recent and notable creations can be found here.
Drippy Skeleton Mugs
Small, bright, round with a necromantic vibe, these mugs are Halloween for those who need it all year round, not just one month out of the year.
Tavern Mug
I was inspired to design these after playing hundreds of hours of tabletop RPG games like Dungeons and Dragons and wanting a mug to reflect the feeling of sitting with friends in a tavern telling stories of grand adventures, sweeping romances, death-defying antics, and funny asides. So I learned how to make these tavern mugs.
Occult Collection
Witchy cottage core is sort of where my heart rests and so of course I designed some witch vibing pieces. The planchette design is hand-drawn by myself and added after throwing the mug form on the pottery wheel. I use a pigmented underglaze to give these a tarnished look, as if spirits have touched this mug one too many times.
Writer Merch
Whether it's drinking the tears of my readers (kept on tap in the library) or just proclaiming that I'm a little Bookish, I love an authorial mug and had to design a few. The teardrop design came out of a desire to have a mug that fits perfectly into the curve of my palm so I can cup my drink and feel warm inside and out. Also, it's really great to sip villainously from while plotting diabolic character drama.
Spirited Mugs
I was raised with and around horses, so there's no chance I wouldn't be making horse-related art. I've designed these pieces to reflect the feeling of galloping through the wind on horseback grounded by the beat of the horse's hooves against the ground. These mugs usually become gifts to the riders who join me and my horses on the trail.
Dead to Me
Is there anything more satisfying than a skull in a library? I just love having a touch of gothic horror around the house. It feels Shakespearian, dramatic, and a little overblown. Early on in my ceramics journey, I knew I wanted to cast skulls in some way, and hopefully relate to tea. Against advice, I made my first plaster mold and began making growlers, jars, planters, and teapots. I make quite a few related to my favorite video game, Sea of Thieves.
Regal Creatures
My sculptural journey is just beginning. I'm learning mostly from YouTubers by following their sculpting tutorials. My first sculptures are a set of four regal creatures from the designs and patterns from The Virtual Art Room taught by a wonderful teacher from Perth, Australia. I like how the mouse looks down her nose at you, how the fox has a crafty tooth, and the raven and rabbit both are scheming.
Dinos
"Stephen, it's a dinosaur!" At one point, I wanted to be a paleontologist, but only if it involved going to Jurassic Park and petting a stegosaurus. Which. . . is probably not great. I'm not the "run from dinos" kind of type. In solidarity with other dinophiles, I've made dino mugs, dino shot glasses, and dino trinket dishes.
