Purple Pentagonal Cross-Section Reassembled Ring Teapot

Each of these teapots is a breaking apart or deconstruction of the original ring, followed by a rearranged assembly of the separated parts. With this teapot I was trying to collapse the ring part way around its original circle by overlapping the sections, while keeping all the inward-curving surfaces faced toward the center like the original circular shape. However, the arc sections are not reassembled in the original positions where they were before the ring was cut apart. While working on this composition I thought, "Why not put the handle inside the ring where the tea usually is in a traditional teapot?" This unusual handle placement results in a balanced pouring motion, where the teapot ring rotates around the server's hand like a steering wheel. I was thinking of an ancient motif, like a saber-toothed tiger's oversized fang, when I sculpted the finial for the lid. I glazed the teapot purple, but I was dissatisfied with the uneven glaze color after its first glaze firing, so I thickened the purple glaze to a paste and repainted the pale sections of the fired teapot. A second glaze firing, risky because it can crack the teapot from uneven heat shock while the kiln warms up, was successful, and resulted in a much more unified sculptural composition.

This teapot is held in a private collection in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In addition to my unique reassembled ring teapots, my partner Susan Nykiel and I also make a wide range of functional and elegant pottery pieces. Please visit our new online store at oakbluffspottery.etsy.com to see what we have to offer! This is an excellent place to shop for beautiful handmade pottery for your own home or for your gift-giving pleasure.