The Exotic Teapot

Fleur Schell from Fremantle, Western Australia has been a porcelain ceramic artist since adulthood.  She has relished in the daily ritual of pouring from a handmade teapot and drinking from a thrown and altered cup.  But it wasn’t until her daughter Heidi was born that she began creating teapots that depicted imaginary playmates and tales.  “Like a page from a children's book the gesture between a little girl and her dog atop a teapot encourages us to reflect apon innocent childlike experiences.”  This is what inspired her to make a children’s book entitled “The Excellent Adventures of Heidi and Kilbey.”   

Afternoon tea is an excellent time to relax, allowing the mind to travel to faraway places.  The “Wish travel” teapot was obviously designed for this reason.  The globes on the front and back of the pot indicate which part of the world is depicted.  And, the airplane is strategically placed near the handle to transfer the viewer from one side of the world to the other.  The teapot even displays foods known to the region shown. 

This contemporary white teapot was designed by Joaquim Bastos, an Industrial Design student at Escola Superior de Artes e Design in Caldas da Rainha (Portugal).   Its circular, sleek shape in basic white constitutes an unobtrusive but modern elegance.  The shiny steel stand magnifies the teapot’s globular form.   Serving white tea, pouring into white teacups or bowls would certainly harmonize and enhance the décor this teapot was designed for.

This stunning teapot by Davina Romansky is the winner of The 2009 Saul Bell Award in the hollowware category.   This category must use either silver or gold that is spun, drawn, raised and or forged.  Decorative casts or components are permissible.   This prestigious award has challenged silversmiths and jewelry designers around the world to submit innovative pieces for near a decade.  Metalsmith artists believe the teapot is the most challenging of pieces to create and relish in the accomplishment once mastered.  This one is certainly a masterpiece.

With the Winter Olympics in action and this year’s extreme frigid temperatures, a cup of hot tea must be a beverage of choice.  These icy teapots are not the vessel for steeping such but certainly do reflect current inclement weather conditions.  One pot was sculpted using ice as the chosen media; the other merely collected and captured snow then melted to ice as conditions permitted.  Nonetheless, both pay homage to this wonderful vessel so often used throughout the season.

Steampunk refers to the combination of sci-fi and exploratory fiction but… with fantasy undertones.  Additionally, this style focuses on the Victorian English era only as it relates to steam power.  These teapots, made by Michael Morarity are of this genre; it has a temperature gauge, spout cover, release key and percolation window.  Tea is placed in the top hatch; when the temperature is high, the release key that controls an internal seal is manually pulled then hot water percolates through.  This rotates the key as it percolates.

The ringing of the New Year in China began February 14^th.  It is the tiger’s year.  The tiger zodiac is associated with adventurous, suspicious, sensitive, emotional and risk taking.   Lynn Chase designs jungle-type dinnerware and vessels that features the tiger in vivid colours with multi-dimensional patterns.  What makes this teapot celebratory is that she puts the tiger atop the other jungle plants and birds in which the cat resides.

Climbing to the North Pole would be arduous for anyone.  Warm clothing, a reliable tent plus dehydrated and complex carbohydrate foods would most likely be the staples in such backpacks.   But two Americans proclaimed that the 26 oz teapot they packed was the best item they could have taken.  Because of the pot’s durability and size, the two men were able to melt snow blocks, boil water and use for storage while hiking.  Starting the trek in Canada at Ellesmere Island, the Americans made what is called the “hardest trek on the planet” with their teapot in just two months.     

If fun, bright, whimsical, imaginative and unique are attributes that you appreciate then you will love this All Heart Teapot by JoAnne Bedient.  This skilled ceramic artist hand builds pop culture like pieces then reverts to traditional Japanese raku firing for the finishing touch.  The smoke infuses the clay and glazes, resulting in surprising shimmers, noticeable crackles and dazzling colours.  JoAnne finds joy in this process which she calls “continual experimentation.”     

This teapot is just one of Bruce Noske’s astoundingly pierced designs which reflect the Victorian days of chintzes and Wedgewood but with a minimalist Oriental twist.  His pots are meticulously developed, all with similar shoulder, base, lid, unique handle and spout.  Because he has always enjoyed doodling, or sketching, patterns of leaves and animals, Bruce applies these to teapots via hand painted brushwork and slip carved decorations.

If you ask Melanie Sharpham how to make a teacup she will tell you that: you must: love to get your hands messy; love that clay is unpredictable; love that you can transform dirt into something tangible, and; love to get so focused that nothing else matters.  For Melanie, she also loves the native Western Australian flower called gums.  The pastel colours and designs of the flowers are what she emulates in her teacups and mugs.  Serving a flower herbal tea would be a fabulous compliment for these cups.

In her early 20’s Tonya Nöckler-Golding was seriously injured in an automobile accident.  Throughout the years of pain during recovery she found peace when painting ceramics.  Tonya went on to practice law yet still kept paining closest to her heart.  Now she can be found full time in her home studio on Table Mountain in Cape Town painting her women teapots which are crafted by African ceramic artisans.  She believes one negative thought during the process and the magic of her pot is gone; thus, she listens to music to infuse the vessel with happy thoughts.

Ceramic artist Richard Notkin has been featured once before.  However, with Valentine’s Day nearing, his Heart Teapot series warrants recognition.  Notkin thinks: “The seeds of all conflict are to be found in each human heart.” As many artists, Notkin thinks the teapot is one of the most complex because the body, spout, lid, knob and handle must mesh; just as complicated as love can be.  And, because Notkin loves Yixing teapots, his heart series show that he has mastered the scale and detail demanded of such vessels. 

The pottery made in Tokoname City in Japan is known as Tokoname-yaki.  During the 12th and 13th centuries an estimated 3,000 kilns were built.  Today this pottery region, located on the Chita Peninsula, still has 1,200 ancient kilns in operation.  It wasn’t until the 19^th century that teapots were introduced.  By using rich red clay and artistic embellishments, tokoname teapots still remain durable, affordable and visually appealing.

This tea ware can be found at the Zhu Ye Qing Tea Museum and Garden in Emei City in the Sichuan Province of China.  The pot is actually quite nice; the other parts of the set are what make it somewhat peculiar.  Actually the base is a spoon holder: the spoon used to scoop tea leaves into the pot.  The ornate scooper, curvaceous teapot handle and etching on the thick base do compose an interesting tea set.