The Exotic Teapot

Hsin-Chuen Lin attributes his pottery to the Sung Dynasty (960-1279).  With all these years of Chinese cultural resource, Lin believes the creation of new ceramic pieces is endless.  However, he readily admits that the exposure to contemporary processes in ceramics has allowed him the freedom and spontaneity to integrate the old and new.  For example, he does not embellish this teapot as the form is its beauty; yet, he uses a spray bottle full of glaze to lightly tint the piece.

With it being Halloween eve these are a just few fabulous teapots to remind us of this festive occasion.

Mary Dorsh’s Ghost Squared Teapot

Wickedly Witch Teapot

Fiedler Victorian porcelain Halloween pumpkin teapot

Linda Mau believes new techniques lead to solutions for old design issues.  But because she is married to an engineer, the concept of design, technology and materials has escalated.  This is evident with her paper clay teapots.  She first designs them on paper.  Wearing thick gloves, Linda then transforms the pot to a 3-D shape using tin wire.  Afterwards, multiple layers of paper clay are applied to the hardware, requiring hours or days to dry between each coat.  Her paper clay consists of 20% pulp to 80% slip.  Because the wire and paper fibers melt during firing, she has determined the kiln cannot be baked at high temperatures or the pot will crumble.    

For some reason Jeff Campana likes to create chaos then resolve the problem with physics.  His green leaf teapot is a prime example.  He designed a teapot then dissected it for the most exceptionally functioning teapot and visual appeal.  He applied the venturi design to create a drip-less spout: at 45 degree angle, the spout tip slightly higher than the interior lip of the body, the handle pulls in close to the body and has a handle-based lid latch.  He cut the body of the teapot in leaf pattern shapes then re-assembled, stopping to use a drill bit to make holes in the body and spout for a built-in tea infuser.  This link displays each step of the detailed process…well worth a few moments of intrigue.

Decorative tea boxes, or tea caddies, in Britain date back to the early 18^th Century.  After tea became more accessible and affordable, in the second quarter of the century, a variety of box styles were introduced.   At first, most were made of mahogany or walnut and offered in single, double or multiple tiers. By the late 18th century, caddies were made of pine, oak or mahogany and skillfully veneered in different woods. It is no wonder that today there are numerous admirers and collectors of these beautiful designed antique pieces.

“When you pour tea from one of my teapots, it needs to feel right. The balance needs to be perfect. The tea needs to pour smoothly.”  Terry Parker has lived by these rules since her very first designed teapot in 1970.   She hopes that her vessels are as beautiful as useful.  The pot shown here, started with her texturing the buff stoneware, which she then placed on the potter’s wheel; hence, partially forming the pot from the inside out.  To fully expose the texture, she dipped the pot in a dark glaze then quickly wiped it off part of the textured surface so that this colour only remained in the deeper impressions.  Lastly, she dipped the teapot in a lighter glaze to cover and smooth all surfaces.

Using soft slabs of clay, imported Indian wood cuts and textured objects found in everyday homes, Elaine Pinkernell creates one of a kind functional teapots, mugs and vases.  She compares her process to that of quilting.  First she selects a coloured slab just as one would a fabric.  Then she creates impressions with stamping as a quilter would with stitching.  Next she assembles each slab into one form, such as the shape of a teapot; similar to assembling all decorative fabric pieces into one quilt.  Pinkernell’s last process is to glaze the teapot with a tint which will best reveal the textured slab form then fire at high temperatures, enabling her wares to withstand dishwasher use. 

 

Biliana Popova believes that horizontal lines relate to all things earthly and vertical lines reflect that of divinity.  Vivid colours indicate that of the sky, vegetation and earth.  Rusty tones or hues generate emotions from the heart, such as physical or mental strengths.  With this teapot, she hopes the diversity of these theories is present.  When contemplating this concept I do see a correlation with that of tea.  Tea is from the earth and when drinking a cup, personal emotions do surface whether it a mental moment of relaxation or a way to improve physical health.

Ceramic artist Geoff Calabrese finds that humans’ facial expressions reveal our truest feelings at any given time.  What makes his ceramic heads, faces and teapots so interesting is that he strives to emulate his own state of mind on that particular day.  Calabrese completes the facial expression and shape of each individual piece simultaneously in hopes of transforming the emotion into full recognizable form then functionality. 

While visiting the eclectic Byward Market shops in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada, I stumbled upon a unique tea house.  As I glanced at the over 300 tea blend names appearing on the labeled jars displayed, I became dazed and confused, wondering if I was hallucinating that I was in an old vinyl record store from the early 70’s.  Employees Rio and Heather explained to me that the owner, a German immigrant, happens to be an avid music fan of classic English rock and roll.  Thus, he assigns titles to many of his tea blends after an infamous singer, band or song title.  So, I settled for a cup of “John Lemmon” and ordered a “Red Zeppelin” for take-out.

It is inspiring to hear and see how individuals reflect their thoughts of the environment.  Sylva Rios does so with wheel thrown pottery and sculptured embellishing.  Her statement is best shared with no further explanation.   

I would like to think that putting these ideas on the table as ceramic objects in a scale that we can comprehend, will make it possible for people to see what we are doing. It is alarming to me that we are such small beings with such an enormous effect on our surroundings and that we really have no idea of what is really being changed. … We are more likely to listen and see if we are not told what or how to think.

Combining herbs to make an aromatic, visually appealing and palette pleasing tea is an art.  It is similar to selecting then assembling a variety of media into an eye-catching sculpture.  Janice Rowell’s “The Way of Tea” amalgamates the art of both.  Her origami box and wheel thrown porcelain teapot is adorned with leaves and dried fruit used in herbal teas.  The colours and woody tones make it a choice piece to display throughout the autumn months.

Jan Schachter creates functional teaware or dinnerware as a series.  Using a pottery wheel, she intentionally alters the form of each in a set.  After decades of mixing her own hued salt glazes, Schachter then applies complimentary toned colours within the sequence.  Even though this artist professes to be a perfectionist, her concept of a perfect match is not that it be indistinguishable.

There is an art to displaying your favorite masterpiece on the wall.  Its surroundings make all the difference in how it is appreciated.  I have found the same for blossoming teas.  First, you would not buy a painting that is musty and crinkled; therefore, only buy flowering teas that are individually wrapped and not crammed in a tin.  Second, be sure there is ample space to visualize the work of art:  the teapot needs to be large enough for the flower to fully bloom.  Third, lighting is what adds drama or draws attention: place blossoming tea in a clear glass teapot, preferably with a votive tea-lit candle below the pot.  The advantage of blossoming tea masterpieces are that you can experience many and never spend what you would on an original oil painting.  

Being an avid admirer of all tea-related topics, yet still certainly a novice compared to others, I am frequently asked about drinking tea for weight reduction purposes.  I believe the adage “it’s too good to be true” applies with many quick-fix weight loss teas.  What is applicable is that tea originating from the centuries old Camellia Sinensis plant has been proven time and time again to aid in digestion and naturally speed up metabolism.  If it is an herbal tea with such claims you likely can find a long history of its use from the country in which it originated; if there is none, to me reluctance surfaces.  I’ll stick to purchasing loose leaves from a reputable tea company.       

Faktura is a term associated with the Constructivists period during the Russian Revolution.  Constructivism could not be ‘art for art’s sake’; instead it had to reveal a social purpose or even a laboratory experiment.  The influence of Cubism and Futurism are present in most works of this era.  This teapot by Jacqueline Thompson pays homage to one of the leaders of Constructivism, female artist Varvara Stepanova, who later gained fame from her textile designs.