AKITA TEA-RYAKI
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A hand-built stoneware ceramic teapot, this piece represents a further evolutionary development of this genre. It is composed using different techniques for modeling the media.
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The puppy's head, tail and paws are sculpted; the container and fortune cookie are made of clay slabs; the noodles are of extruded clay; the faux bamboo handles are formed of altered extruded clay.
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Construction sequence:Fired initially to cone 06. Hand-painted underglazes applied. Refired to cone 5/6. Opalescent overglaze then added.Another firing to cone 017. Gold luster applied. Fourth and final firing to cone 018. Fimo clay used to create faux bindings.Cold finishes included enamel and acrylic paints.
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Especially constructed for display at the Craftsman House Invitational Teapot Exhibition, St. Petersburg, FL; also shown at Form and Grace and Whimsy, Small Group Show, Seen Gallery, Decatur, GA.
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Size: 9.5" x 9.5" x 7.0".
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Date: 2008.
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Available for purchase: Price $950.
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CREATIVE PROCESS
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This ceramic teapot consists of an Akita puppy struggling to escape from a partially crushed Chinese take-out container of noodles.
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It was created in response to a special request from the owners of the Florida gallery at which the piece was to be exhibited. It is intended as a tribute to them and to the Akitas they own.
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A special design feature of this work is the shape of the faux bamboo press mold handles. They are specifically curved to match the shape of the dog's ears.
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The teapot's lid, shaped like a fortune cookie, is located behind the puppy's head. The teapot's spout is the dog's snout.
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