This is not Tea Cup Ballet. Tea Cup Ballet (1935), by talented Aussie gal Olive Cotton (1911-2003), is a work of art: a beautifully evocative, black and white photograph that transports domestic crockery to the misty landscape of dreams. I've always loved it.


Anyway, there I was last weekend, busily snapping pics of my vintage (C1960s) demitasse coffee cups (if we want to be pedantic). Not to pay homage to Olive - no, no. (I'm the first to admit to having zero technical nous: Those snazzy functions on my Canon G10 are wasted on someone who simply leaves it on auto, points, and shoots.) You see, having decided to Zen the shed a little, I was simply taking some shots to put on Ebay.

But then - as happens when you're concentrating on the object you're photographing, or drawing, or writing about - the more I observed, the more I began to re-appreciate (see that lovely drip of greenish blue on the rim, where the glaze has trickled down?) I thought of Tea Cup Ballet, and Olive,  and how I share her love of domestica.
Observe, appreciate, observe, appreciate ...

"Hmmm," I thought, "Perhaps I won't sell them after all. I'll write about them, and go play around on Picnik, or Big Huge Labs or Picassa, and make a mosaic or two to post on eumundipapersdotcom. And when I'm tired of all that, I'll tuck them back in their matching 1960s Danish-style sideboard. And come summer, when we have guests over, I can serve dainty affogatos in them." Yes, there's a thought: Affogatos. Ooooooh, I wish it were summer already.


Notes:

• Olive Cotton worked in the studio of the rather more famous (justifiably or not - you decide) Aussie shutterbug, Max Dupain (1911-1992), best known for his iconic image of The Sunbather (1937). Read the Wikis and check out the images - if you haven't already.
• Affogatos are iced coffee for grownups. Place a scoop or two of best quality ice cream in your cutest cup, glass or small bowl. Serve with a tiny jug of excellent, and strong, black coffee. Simply pour the coffee onto the ice cream, and eat with a spoon. Best way to chill out and wake up simultaneously.