The Exotic Teapot

Artist Lilianne Milgrom’s believes “any chosen subject matter intrinsically demands its own form of expression.”  Her hand built porcelain teapot is one example.  Because she is a tea drinker she wanted to publicize the teapot.  She chose to do so by making use of letters and the symbolic T-shirt.  Notice how the lower case letters “p” and “t” form the sleeves of a shirt yet all four letters refer to a teapot.     

Tired of the appearance of an old teapot?  Or, see a new one that you think needs a touch of embellishment to match décor or personality.  I was impressed by contemporary folk artist Sandy Mastroni’s idea for refurbishing a teapot.  She added more clay to an old pot then pressed shells and buttons in the newer clay.  What’s more, Sandy took the time to sculpt and hand-paint a female’s head for the teapot lid. 

The origin of this adorable crocheted tea set is unknown.  However, those with stitching skills are sure to be inspired.  Those of us lacking the ability are most likely in awe at its detailing.  If a tea party theme is in question for the host or hostess, consider asking a friend with these skills to create something similar for your own table decoration.  Instead of the adage “tickled pink” why not use a “tickled purple tea party” theme?  Have guests wear their favorite purple clothing and make purple tea party hats as an activity.

Stefanie Kaspar and Christof Kaspar are the designers of this proposed functional 3-in-1 teacup.  As shown below, the red spoon is actually part of the saucer.  It sleekly appears as the spout of a teapot.  But actually the white base is a bone china teacup.  The purpose of the spoon cup is to slide a used teabag out of the cup into the bottom of the spoon saucer to hide its unsightly appearance. 

The art of paper folding, origami is not as easy as it looks.  Just as throwing a teapot on a potter’s wheel, it takes much practice and patience.  The difference is the wheel is round like a teapot, cup or bowl and rotates in a circular motion to aid in the creation whereas the paper is folded on a flat surface to create a 3-dimensional object.  Taking on such a challenge likely requires a true fan of tea and is possibly not even chosen by the origami artist unless a passionate drinker.

An avid reading friend of mine called insisting that I read Tim Macy’s online web short story “The Brass Teapot.”  It certainly is not one to read to your child.  Yes, the teapot is magical and it does produce money.  But it is the physical and mental expense required to generate the income in the teapot which makes this tale one of darkness. 

They argued for an hour, Alice the entire time clutching the closed teapot. She called him a loser three times during the fight and he once, out of frustration, told her that she had been a bad mother. It was the dirtiest they had ever treated one another. When they finished, when both were hunched over in exhaustion … Alice lifted the lid to find the teapot filled with twenty dollar bills. There was just over four hundred dollars.

Even though Mr. Macy’s work is appreciated as literary art, I think I’ll just continue adding only water and tea leaves to my teapots.

These little pigs are born small enough to fit in a teacup.  The miniature swine is gaining acceptance as a replacement to the teacup pet poodle.  Additionally, it is claimed the tiny ones, growing to the adult size of a Cocker Spaniel, are smarter than a dog.  Apparently they can learn and perform tricks.  I wonder if they can learn how to brew a cup of tea?      

The baobab tree is native to Australia, Madagascar and the mainland of Africa.  Baobabs, sometimes referred to as monkey bread trees, can hold up to 120,000 l of water; grow up to 30 m tall and 11 m wide.  Because of its water storage capacity the tree trunks swell.  Some trees take on very strange shapes like this one of a teapot in Ifaty, Madagascar. 

If you like fuzzy or feathered creatures with a whimsical overtone and brilliant, glossy colours then you are sure to appreciate Lynda Corneille’s teapots, cups and sets.  From her studio in British Columbia, Canada, Lynda has been creating award winning, world-wide collectible ceramic pieces for 39 years.  This pot is from her series entitled “Sealed with a Kiss.”  The red-lipped kiss is on the bottom of each piece.  A great gift idea for cat and dog lovers!

This tea set, made of terra cotta, is best used for strong tea.  The reason being is that porous pots retain the flavour of previous seeped tea.  Actually you should have separate pots for teas based on: smoked teas, non-smoked, lighter teas, herbal and green.  Using separate pots maintain consistency in the flavour of your favourite brew.  China and porcelain pots are best used for oolong and green teas.

I am sure that we all have at one time or another seen something floating in our teacup that we didn’t think should be there.  But these ceramic cups have little creatures intentionally placed in the interior at the base.  When the warm tea is consumed, brilliantly hand painted butterflies, ducks, turtles, dog faces, bees, cats and hippos slowly become visible to delight tea drinkers as they reach the bottom of the cup. 

Apparently the teapot is an often manipulated object in computer science.  The one shown here is created by Ann Torrence.  She took numerous digital images of the same: water with bubbles in a clear glass teapot under a white strobe light.  Using Adobe Photoshop, Anne then applied various grey levels of the spectrum to assemble this one image.  In her words:  The resulting transformation of time into spectral space yields a non-realistic yet evocative approach to image-making.  I must admit I do not fully understand the technique; however, the image is spectacular. 

I have often wondered at what point architecture becomes art.  Is it the designer’s education that causes the transformation of an everyday object into a work of art?  Or, is the person first a born artist that chose to perfect his/her ideas by learning how to create and perfect the design via architectural concepts?  Either way, Gaetano Di Gregoria is both.  His teapots are distinguishably so.

Karin Taylor is a self-taught vibrant illustrator living in Australia.  She has drawn a series of fantasy-like drawings with her geisha girl character.  While visiting her parents who have created and nurtured an outdoor topiary of a teapot and sugar bowl, Karin came up with the idea of her character admiring a garden grown teapot spouting tea.  Karin’s drawings, available in greeting cards and on canvas, are giclee prints.  This is a process that squirts the various inks onto the median; similar to an inkjet printer but far more advanced in precision and longevity.

Adrien Miller started his career as a sculptor.  However, as a substitute art teacher he was informed that he would need to learn to use a potter’s wheel to help students wanting to express themselves through pottery.  Now he combines both skills, making his teapots using the wheel then adding sculptured faces.  Adrien hopes that the expressions appearing on his pots emulate a sense of “joy and happiness.”  I am especially fond of his “Teapot of Inner Peace” and “Waking Up.”