GOT TEA?

• This work is a hand-built stoneware teapot in the form of a partially-crushed milk container embellished with bovine elements.
• It is patterned in faux cowhide. An extruded cow's tail serves as the teapot's handle; a press mold knob cap is the lid; and an udder is placed at its base.
• Construction sequence:
      Fired initially to cone 06.
      Hand-painted underglazes added to exterior surfaces and white cone 6 glaze to interior.
      Refired to cone 6.
      Cold finished with overglazes of enamels, acrylic paints and waxes.
• Exhibited at a student-teacher show in Portland, ME; also shown at Form and Grace and Whimsy, Small Group Show, Seen Gallery, Decatur, GA.
• Size: 6.0" x 6.75" x 3.25".
• Date: 2008.
• Available for purchase: Price $500.

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CREATIVE PROCESS

• This hand-built ceramic teapot was inspired by the work of one of my more talented students, Leah, who created Elsie in response to an assignment.
• Our interchanges generated mutually stimulating ideas for developing the theme. We agreed to work together on parallel projects for a local student-teacher exhibtion.
• Early thoughts for my work suggested a reclining milk carton as a goal, but this would have required a much longer version of the carton. The form was tweaked to curve and disort it as if partially collapsed. Also contemplated was a faux cowhide pattern, an udder, a milk carton knob for the opening, and a strong, tall handle.
• Friends urged me to include a photo of a missing dog, analogous to the images of missing children so often found on milk cartons. Using a cow photo instead and a plea for a missing cow seemed more appealing for integrating the several milk, cow and carton related concepts together. While this latter is a means for injecting a touch of humor into the subject of the piece, it is not my intention to diminish in any way the intrinsic value of serious messages concerning missing children.

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• Further development of this piece involved carving the structure to create hooves.
• An extruded handle is supplemented by carving to make it flow from the carton in tail-like fashion.
• The teapot's lid is formed of a press mold knob.
• An udder is added to supplement the design of the bottom of the vessel.

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• The flowing tail component supplements the handle of the teapot.
• The cap, which is the teapot's lid, is modified.
• The udder at the bottom of the piece is sculpted. It serves as a surprise finding.
• This completes the structural construction prior to the first firing.

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• After successful firing, coloration is applied to create the faux cowhide pattern with underglazes.
• The internal surfaces are glazed with white glossy cone 5/6 glaze to make the piece functionally utilitarian.

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• Underglazing concludes with color added to the hooves.
• The work is signed in the area surrounding the udder on the undersurface of the piece.
• It is now ready for its second firing.

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• Cold finishes are applied to the work after its successful second firing.

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