Made during my residency at the Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Sea Monster Stirrup Cup 009 signals a new direction for the series. While still rooted in chimeric sea creatures, this piece feels more introspective. I’ve started to see these cups as a kind of self-portrait—capturing whatever I’m feeling or exploring at the time through the language of these monsters. My intention moving forward is to create one cup a year, letting the series grow alongside my technical ability and personal evolution as an artist.