The Exotic Teapot

This miniature teapot invention is that of Joshua Foy.  “The work is my visual interpretation of events such as war, energy consumption, outsourcing, imports, environmental concerns, and recession through the combination of associated objects and iconography.”  Joshua uses ceramics and other pieces from assorted media to reveal industrialist production and mass consumerism.  He hopes to infuse the serious and humorous side of life all the while exposing traditionalism and contemporary views. 

This colourful teapot does not consist of colourful broken chips of glass pieced together like a mosaic piece.  Instead it is the masterpiece of glassmaker Dave Fetty from Fenton Art Glass Company.  Mr.  Fetty began his career at the gallery in 1965, perfecting his techniques through retirement age in 1998.  His talent and skills are evident in this splendid teapot.   Now he continues to teach young artists the mastery of glass making.

One would think the answer to this question is tea.  This is only partially correct.  Actually the ratio of tea to other contents is quite small.  Warm water takes up the bulk of the pot’s contents.  But what truly is in a teapot depends on what the type is and how it was made.  If its porcelain, ceramic, glass, wood, metal or even stone there had to have been an artist that designed its shape by hand or mouth.  There had to be fire for the kiln or for glass blowing; there had to be water to moisten the clay or soften the wood and earth and air is origin for all of the media.  If you think about what a teapot consists of it is very similar to what goes into it.

I am not sure how Charles Krafft selects the characters depicted on his teapot heads but he has chosen a unique group of individuals to replicate.  Kim Jong IL, Charles Manson and Aleister Crowley are a few.  Each porcelain ceramic head is hand crafted by Krafft who admits he specializes in the evil or disgraced icons.  His promotional literature claims that he crafts the sculpted, fully functional teapots from a dark and gloomy basement.

Tomasz Bobrzynski claims he is a child of digital age.  It is apparent after viewing his amazing photographs.  However, Tomasz does not just have technical skills he has the artistic ability to select subjects that are awe inspiring without manipulation.  Then using his proficiency and photographic experimentation he magnifies or suspends the action associated with the matter.  This is what the makes the visual image so fascinating.       

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.”   

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.

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.

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. 

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.