Blue Sgraffito Dog Mug

This handmade blue ceramic mug features a hand-decorated dog in sgraffito. Made one at a time in my Maui studio, the mug combines functional pottery with the character and warmth of a hand-carved image.

I call this little dog a space explorer. He looks up into the night sky at Saturn, stars, planets, and a tiny flying saucer, as though wondering what might be out there. People began calling this my “Space Dog Mug,” and I love the different stories they imagine when they look into his curious eyes.

I make each mug on the potter’s wheel in my Maui studio. After shaping the form by hand, I carve the dog and the night-sky design into the surface using sgraffito. Every line is carved by hand, so no two mugs are exactly alike.