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- Another teapot in my Lobster Series is Boun-Tea-Full Lobster. It differs considerably from its predecessors, Crus-Tea-Cean and Lob-Stir the Tea, in design and structure. It represents an elongated lobster upon a faux woodern lobster trap. Its tail is sharply curled, while its claws are extended outwardly.
- The work is hand-built of stoneware clay. The teapot body, forming the lobster's body, is made of two thrown cylinders fused together. Actual lobster parts are used to form molds from which the claws and lges are slip cast. The tail is formed from templates fashioned of lobster tail segments. The head and napkin-shaped lid are sculpted. The handle is made of braided clay.
- Exhibited at Saco Museum, Saco, ME.
- Construction sequence:
- Initially fired to cone 06.
- Underglazes applied.
- Refired to cone 5/6.
- Overglazes applied.
- Final firing to cone 017.
- Date: 2009.
- Size: 9.75" x 9.0" x 4.5".
- Available for purchase.
Enlarged Views
Creative Process
- The lobster trap is formed of strips cut from clay slabs. The strips are altered to resemble the rough sea-worn wood used for traps. The lobster's body is crafted of two thrown clay cylinders, which are joined together to form the main compartment of the teapot.
- Templates are made from the several segments of a deconstructed lobster tail. These are used to form each of those segments separately. The tail segments are joined and reassembled to yield the fully formed lobster tail, which is then attached in place on the back of the body.
- A sculpted lobster head is added to serve as the teapot's spout.
- Claws and legs are formed from slip cast molds made from corresponding lobster parts and appended in place.
- The sculpted teapot lid is formed to fit the opening made for it on the dorsal aspect of the lobster's body.
- A folded napkin is also sculpted and attached in place around the lid opening.
- To complete the construction phase for this work, freeform handles are fashioned with extruded clay and attached to the lobster body. The handles are designed to be wider and taller than those of the prior lobster teapots. They are embellished in a checkerboard pattern in black and white glazes.
- In the interest of anatomic accuracy, eight cast mold legs are appended instead of the six made previously. After its first kiln firing at cone 06, embellishments of the handles are made in black and white glazes to form a checkerboard pattern.
- Additional glazing is done to color the lobster and the trap below.
Detailed Views
