Castle Sip Cups

Recently I took a trip to Germany and Austria, where there were lots of beautiful and traditional structures. One stood out to me in particular, the Naueshwanstein Castle. The interior walls were colorful, eclectic, grand, and traditional, unique to the culture. The vivid blues, reds, and greens, the dazzling gold details, the grandeur of the architecture, the imagery rich with history were so inspiring and I knew I needed to incorporate these elements into my art.

I wanted to do another cup design rooted in scripture, but had trouble pinning anything down until I was reminded of Psalm 23:6, which says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” To me, It’s such a “heavy hitter” verse. It carries power and hope, and feels safe, secure, and reliable.

I wanted these cups to reflect these beautiful buildings while also representing this specific Psalm. I loved how many of these paintings inside these buildings were beautiful yet worn-looking, grand, yet humble in a way, which to me, parallels the idea of God’s spirit residing in us. He wants His Spirit to take residence in us because He thinks we are lovely despite our imperfect nature. Goodness and mercy follow in this life because God is present and working. It’s “paradise now”.

These cups also intend to remind us of dwelling with God in a perfect world in our future. Looking at the wear and tear of these old or ancient buildings reminds us of the erosion life tends to bring, reminds us that God intends to fully restore this eroded life. We look past the degradation of these painted castle walls and see the potential, what the creator intended the paintings to do: to create a dwelling place that is extravagantly beautiful, enough to highlight and reflect the status and importance of the nobleman dwelling in the castle. In a similar way, we look at the potential of this world, and what God originally intended this earth to have for us: absolute brilliance, peace, satisfaction, joy, unity, beauty. All because he wants the best for us. He prepares a room for us in heaven, one with vibrant hues, shimmering details, and elaborate architecture. A complete and perfect home that highlights and reflects the extensive love He has for us.

I hope these can be a great reminder to you of the good that is the here and now and also the good that is to come.

I designed images and patterns in Procreate and turned them into little printmaking silk screens (using my Cricut machine) to decorate my hand-thrown sip cups. After glazing, I painted gold and silver luster sparkle details on some of the cups to add some shine! Each cup is unique, with different combinations of colors, patterns, and lusters on each one!