I surf the web to find interesting food items for inspiration. This photo of a half-eaten cupcake evokes the pleasure of enjoying a delicious treat.

I formed the cupcake with potter’s clay, sculpted the fluid form of the paper liner, then finally detailed the textures of the cake and whipped cream. I used a special alloy wire that withstands high temperature to represent the cherry stem.

I fired the greenware in a kiln at cone 05 setting to produce a brick-hard bisque. The wire withstood the 1,900° F temperature of the kiln.

I applied underglaze colors to the bisque. To deepen the colors and to create different effects, I applied clear gloss and satin glazes to selected parts of the bisque.

I fired the bisque again, resulting in this tempting cupcake in its glory of colors.