Artist Statement

I have found an interest in oriental art over the past year including painting and sculpture.  That interest turned into a wonderful journey as this teapot project played out.  I used the works of several sixteenth century Kanō and Rinpa School artists of Feudal Japan as inspiration for this piece.  The foundation of the teapot is a squat glazed bowl reminiscent of those that hold sacred bonsai trees.  It is bland in color and includes two handles and a spout fashioned to mimic bamboo.  The lid of the teapot brings life to the piece in the form of a Kanō style cypress tree with lush green leaves perched inside a circle of rocks surrounded by the blue of life giving waters.  Taken as a whole, you can get lost in a beautiful potted tree and forget that this form also has function as a teapot as well.

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I really feel that there are multiple principles at play in this piece as well as most of the key elements - it is complex but simple at the same time.  There is asymmetrical and symmetrical balance showcased on the lid with the a slight lean of the tree to one side and a large knot in the wood offset by the different height and angles of the leaves all while still being centered in the circle of the rocks.  The emphasis of the teapot is brought out using a downplay of the pot itself creating empty space and drab colors while bringing focus to the lid using the form of the tree and rocks, vivid colors of the water, grass and leaves, and textures of the bark and grass.  Overall there is unity that comes from that balance and emphasis where the function of the teapot can take place under the radar and the viewer's focus is completely taken in by the structure of the lid - it feels complete (not too much or too little).

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This was by far my favorite project since starting ceramics!  The designation as favorite also means it had the most re-works, changes, and time spent figuring out the design and sculpting.  While I knew I wanted to use the Japanese theme, how that looked in clay changed dramatically over time with iterations that had roots on the teapot base to a small spout and handles to many different forms for the tree.  Getting advise on the coloration and glaze helped bring the final look into place. It is a piece I am very proud to share!

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I didn't want to use a theme that everyone would know as the foundation for this project.  I wanted to give it a flare and the works of three artists I had recently seen gave me everything I needed to pull the teapot together.. It also gave e a chance to explore a different culture and their art!

Kanō Eitoku
Birds and Flowers of the Four Seasons, Tree

Ogata Kôrin
Pine with Flowers and Grasses of the Four Seasons
 

Kanō Einō
Birds and Flowers of Spring and Summer
 

The process was as follows:

  -Wedge a softball size ball of stoneware clay
  -Throw a cylinder on the wheel and make it short/wide to form teapot body
  -Trim away skirt clay with a wooden rib tool

  -Smooth out the vessel with a sponge

  -Use a wire cutter to remove it from the wooden bat
  -Use the slab roller to create a ½ inch thick slab

  -Cut out a circle the size of the teapot opening

  -Create a lip on the inside so the lid will fit and stay in place
  -Roll 3 ⅓" thick coils and twist them together to form the tree trunk
  -Roll 3 ¼" thick coils and twist them together to form branches

       -  Repeat 4 times to create 4 branches

  -Scratch and slip the branches onto the tree trunk
  -Create 4 x ¾"thick balls of clay & widen them to create branch treetops
  -Create 1" thick ball and widen it out to create center treetop
  -Scratch and slip the treetops to the branches

  -Scratch and slip the tree to the lid

  -Score the mound of clay around the tree to look like grass
  -Create small spheres of clay & place around the tree to look like rocks

  -Scratch and slip the rocks to the lid 
  -Roll 2 coils for handles about ¾" thick

  -Use needle tool to carve lines around the coils every inch for bamboo effect
  -Use a rolling pin to make a 4"x2" inch rectangle

  -Roll the rectangle around a marker to create a hollow spout

  -Use smaller coils to attach around spout to make it look like bamboo
  -Create a hole in the base for water to flow through

  -Scratch and slip the spout onto the body at the hole

  -Bisque fire
  -Use iron oxide to stain the textures

  -Use underglaze on the outside of the teapot and use glaze on the inside

  -Glaze fire