The Exotic Teapot

M.C. Escher is known for his graphic shapes which created a tantalizing maze.  Through sheer determination the Dutch artist started with one subject then repeatedly positioned into an amazing motif tiling.  An algorithm created to emulate his process is successfully shown in the teapot image to the right.  Escher progressed to add two objects then three as he perfected his complex tiling artwork.  Only four circle shaped patterns were created throughout his career.  The teapot image below was produced applying Escher’s non linear warp method. 

How many baby boomer girls made potholders with the loom kit mum bought from the local craft store?   Madeline Kaczmarczyk perfected potholders then proceeded to creating ceramic teapots.  She air brushes her vessels, low fire bakes in the kiln then meticulously embellishes each with tiny beads, golden pieces and anything else that wreaks femininity.  Madeline’s teapots are so stylish that most women wish they were purses.

There is a TV commercial in the USA with a mini giraffe that viewers just love.  Even though not real ,who would not understand why the giraffe’s body shape would not be regularly emulated as  a teapot: it’s extended neck as the spout to control the pouring of steeped tea; round body as the base to retain enough cups of tea for guests; long legs for a handle, and; colourful spots for design.  If you haven’t seen the mini giraffe, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xVxxLYmypv8

Ever walked on the beach and had some glob catch your eye not because of its beauty but because of its texture caused by the strong seas, ocean breezes and sandy floors?  Artist Susan Collett must have experienced this phenomenon.  She, with clay, emulates the push and pull forced by nature.  The result is a chaotic combination of shells, mollusks and fossilized sea creatures loosely shaped into one of the most admirable forms of all time, the teapot.

Lips, feet, shoulders, rotund, jolly are some common characteristics used to describe people and teapots.   This is why ceramic artist Suze Lindsay designs her pots with identifiable hips or waists and legs or feet. She uses the handles and spouts as arms, shaping then placing in such a way that creates a mood or personality.  At first glance Lindsay’s pots are of mere contemporary genre.  Look again.  Do you now see the human characteristics of a female?

All of his adult life Brian Molanphy has studied how to make things.  As a college student he studied bookmaking and papermaking.  While participating in a European bicycle tour, he became intrigued at wood fired stoves and kilns.  So he decided to learn how to make breads, pastries and ceramic pots.  Then, after getting his master’s degree in ceramics, he decided to teach others how to make things.  Yet, he continues to make things of his own, especially decorative ones such as this porcelain cup and ceramic teapot. 

Bonnie Seeman designs utilitarian ceramic teapots to reveal intimate details of living structures and anatomical features.  Somehow she manages to create a magnificent vessel by showing a dissected vegetable inserted in a human organ then strategically placing an insect here or there.  The combination of coloured glazes, longitudinal, intricate embellishments and textures all but forces the viewer to attempt identifying what the teapot symbolizes.

Jake Jarodsky is an old soul in a young body.  He knew in his teens that he would be an artist.  Jake was torn between becoming a sculptor or a potter.  Because of his intense undergraduate studying, he was hired as a studio aid.  This is where he learned mixing glazes, kiln temperature results, glass blowing and much more.  He chose his higher educational institution based on his admiration of the sage artist and professor Yih-Wen Kuo.  Jake's motto is:

I believe one must do what feels right, regardless of the outcome. The reason I say regardless of the outcome is because it is better to stand up for what you believe in and maybe fail, than not try at all. It is better to be truthful to one’s self, than live with lies and not pursue ones truth.

I expect to see lots of fabulous teapots from Jake over the next few decades.

Artist Ursula Hargens believes flowers communicate newness, animation and flamboyance.  Perhaps growing up in Nova Scotia, where four overtly identifiable seasons occur, exposed Ursula to the glory of annuals and perennials native to her homeland.  Ursula’s teapots, cups and platters dance with an array of colourful blooms, all of which have an oriental undertone. She hopes that the clear, crisp form of the vessels allows the flowers to speak volumes. 

Mixing up form and function is a balancing act for most ceramic artists.  However, this is what motivates Sam Chung to create teapots.  If that is not challenging enough, Sam thrives on which role each pot shall play.  Chung believes he must decide if it should be historical, tactile, decorative or ergonomically physical. These balance and role decisions are what he refers to as grappling.  Which role did Sam portray with this pot?

Margaret Bohls, curator for “Teapots:  Function, Formal, Narrative” has written an article to ceramic artists.  The purpose was to share with them the reasons for creating that magnificent object referred to as the teapot.  She writes:

 The teapot is, arguably, the most visually and culturally loaded pottery form. Trade, fashion, social class, nationalism, and industry, have all contributed to the layers of cultural and historical meaning inherent to this particular cultural artifact. Being at the same time an aesthetic object and a utilitarian object, the teapot also carries all of the potential and all of the contradictions inherent in the field of contemporary ceramics.  

 Margaret addresses the various avenues a ceramic artist can focus on when deciding how to design their teapots.  Besides functional these include:  the aesthetic challenge, the physical relationship to the body, the historical or story-telling perspective and that of decoration.   

After reading the article and with a cup of tea in hand I realized that I was looking at my teapot collection so to gain a greater insight from the artists designing the ones displayed on my shelves.  

The admiration of a living plant, creature or landscape is common.  Some people first see colour, others shapes or even patterns.  Joanne Taylor Brown sees the latter first.  Thereafter, she creates the patterns onto teapots.  Her uncanny ability to depict this characteristic is first a result of skillful pottery making and selective glazing; secondly, it takes an artist’s eyes to identify then select the most important textures.  To the seafood lover, Joanne’s “Flower of the Sea” teapot could be a boiled, succulent meaty morsel of lobster or crab.    

For 35 years Cynthia Shuhy has been an acclaimed hunter and jumper at local horse shows.  Her passion for displaying skill continues at her upscale antique and gift shop where she selects each piece to show.  Cynthia’s business has been in operation for a quarter of a century.  Her attention to detail is obviously what has allowed her to exceed.  These porcelain floral teapots are a few of her pieces that demonstrate the appreciation for ostentatious presentation.

Tea leaves are usually stored in tins to prevent exposure to light.  However, some tea leaves warrant exposure for all to see.  The bottled leaves shown are from the historical Boston Tea Party dated  December 1773.  It occurred to me that having tea for a special occasion or celebration is historical amongst our own circle of family and friends.  Retaining some of these tea leaves, placing in a small decorative bottle with a hand written label to identify the event would be a charming and personable gift for guests.

Wu Dong Jun is a Chinese ceramic artist that specializes in Yixing clay.  Unlike the traditional purple clay pots, Wu Dong uses this prime earthy matter for contemporary designs.  This teapot has been glazed with stylish brown and black colours.  The legs are exaggerated; the spout and handle sizes reduced.  It is a sleek, stylish, chic teapot; one that would catch anyone’s attention, even the traditional or vintage Yixing teapot artist.   

Being the sensible young adult that my goddaughter is, her wedding registry list contains the basic items she believes are needed to start a home.  However, one item that most couples forget to include as a must to start their lives together is the tea kettle.  Kettles provide the most basic of all needs – heat water.  The kettle’s water makes tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sauces and soups.  It can be used to sterilize water and heat baths during bad weather and emergency outages.  Plus, tea kettles make a sparsely decorated kitchen look welcome.

This artist says his teapots are functional but not practical.  Duane Brown insists on making his pots have removable lids, pourable spouts and sturdy handles.  However, Duane is a sculptor, meaning the object emulates something.  If this a sculpture then does it not depict a teapot?  But if the teapot is functional is it not actually the object?   

How many use artsy teapots for decoration?  Hand blown glass teapots with blooming tea are used for centerpieces at dinner parties.   Collectible silversmith and ceramic pots are strategically placed on well- lit shelves for display.  And, when the lids break teapots become flower vases.  Decorating bare walls with one-dimensional teapots are often forgotten.  There are many artistic painters out there such as Carolyn Pappas that appreciate the shape of teapots as ceramic artists do.  Additionally a pot of tea contains water, the same source as a still life painting with watercolours.  Also, some use tea to stain the paper in which a teapot is painted. 

Julia Feld has been a painter for years.  But, it wasn’t until she met clay that her art became 3-dimenionsal narratives.  A perfect example is her whimsical rendition of dwarf teapots from the children’s story “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”  Even though not functional vessels, each dwarf, or dork as she calls them, has a spout, lid and handle.  The teapots were raku fired using a garbage can full of newspaper.

Any day of the year is prime time for displaying flowers.  Research dating back to 1938 has shown that blooming flowers and dried petals emit an aroma and visual calming effect for humans.  One of the most notable studies is referred to as the Bach system.  One physician using this treatment said “the strength of flower therapy lies in the normalization of psychic disruptions and the resolution of inner conflicts.”  This combined with the many health advantages of drinking tea is a winning combination for a party, as photographer Lauren Rubenstein has shown.