A rather wonderful customer of mine who also happens to be another one of my imaginary cousins (sure, I have dozens of imaginary cousins, which does NOT include all of my honorary cousins)*** has a daughter getting married. The daughter is having a MAD HATTER TEA PARTY before the wedding, with manymanymany guests.
I was asked if I had an idea for something that guests could use and take home, a special souvenir that related to the theme plus was handmade.
The wife and I were thinking about it, and doodled out the possibilities, and you see below the rather excellent second attempt--I think the customer will go for this and I'll make a bunch.
Here is the, um, CATCH.
The customer is an attorney married to an attorney, and you know people like that see the world DIFFERENTLY from you and me, you know? The convo went like this:
customer: "are you worried about copyright problems and being sued???"
(because as you know, a certain LARGE media company seems to own some or all or most of the rights on this thing or whatever, I don't want to know)
me, naively: "I am a potter, why would I worry about lawsuits?????"
WELL, from what I can tell, the original story and illustrations are so old as to be open source. I am not asking any further questions. I am basing my design loosely on an illustration over 100 years old. And so, I shall move on thinking to myself "ignorance is bliss..." with my fingers crossed :)
(cups by Gary Rith)
***What is the difference, you ask, between my imaginary cousins and the honorary ones? Simple! Honorary cousins are the adopted cousins that I have met and hang out with. Imaginary are the ones I have not yet met in person----and just like Boy Scouts, all you have to do meet me to get promoted :)
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9 comments:
Gary, that's perfect! Wow.
i'm with you amigo... sue away, what are they gonna get from us? of course it wouldn't surprise me if someone told me the story of how they sued someone over the designs on a gift for a wedding party. too litigious, we are.
I wouldn't be too worried about being sued. Unless your lawyer clients contact someone and offer to represent them in suing you. hahaha
How very creative of you, and perfect for the occasion! Tea, anyone?
OMG! These are totally awesome!
Those really are fantastic!
Here's one of those oddities that go on around the internet. Early today I was commenting on a blog I visit called Lovely Listing, and replying to someone talking about a living room being designed by the Mad Hatter with all sorts of silliness relating to Alice in Wonderland...and specifically referenced the top hat.
Nice feeling of inter-connection :-) Admittedly, I suppose it's on a lot of people's minds, what with the release of the movie...but that's less fun, isn't it? I like the concept of shared experiences/thoughts uniting people in ways they never know about.
Great mugs, and I'm sure they will be mad successes ;-)
Wow Gary! Thats cool. Did you hear Terry Gross a few days ago interviewing a writer who had written about Lewis Carroll? He was a perv! Check this out:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_Carroll
He was into child porn way before the internet! It was really weird but fascinating. I loved the stories he wrote and loved the illustrations....hard to believe the parents of Alice kind of kicked him out of her life.
It matters not to me what Lewis Carrol's sexual prefs might have been. I'm an Alice addict and have traveled down that same rabbit hole after her more times than I can count, buth in the written, as well as filmed and acted forms. Alice, et al, are pure magic and reflect whata childhood should/can be -- a place where anything can happen, including grinning cats who can't stop it, and lobsters dancing a quadrille. THAT's the important stuff, the kind of magic Gary has -- a delight in imagination and if it produces a nice living as well, well -- HOORAY! And lucky yOU, Gary, as well as lucky US!
Those rule! What a fantastic idea for a wedding theme and the perfect man to go to for such a thing. Love it. Congratulations to whomever's daughter! It will surely be a wonderful time. She sounds like a fun girl.
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