Porcelain Grace - Meryl Ruth

TEA COZY, A CERAMIC TEAPOT

Tea Cozy is a ceramic stoneware teapot in the form of a baby sweater and cap.

This ceramic teapot is made of stoneware clay in a novel design.
It is based on an actual knitted baby sweater. The shape and cable knit surface pattern is imparted into clay by means of two flat press mold clay slabs, which are sculpted to form the two sides of the sweater.
The lid is a baby's knit hat. The handle is the right sleeve. The spout is the extension of the sweater's left sleeve.
Construction sequence:
    Underglazes applied.

    Fired to cone 06.

    Air-brushing for additional glazes.

    Refired to cone 5/6.

    More overglazing done.
Date: 2010.
Size: 13.0" x 14.0" x 4.5".
Shown at Art2010, 15th Annual Juried Show, Kennebec Valley Art Association, Harlow Gallery, Hallowell, ME; Teapots 6! Invitational, Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA, 2012.
Displayed at Teapot 6! Invitational Show Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery, Pittsburgh, PA.
Sold to the The Cafesjian Foundation for permanent display at the museum of the Cafesjian Center for the Arts, Yerevan, Armenia.

ENLARGED VIEWS

Enlarged view.

Enlarged view.

CREATIVE PROCESS

Cable knit pattern and shape of the sweater are invoked in clay by press mold and sculpting.

Two flat clay slabs are used for hand-building the teapot's body for this piece.
They form the press mold impressions of both front and back sides of an actual cable-knit baby's sweater.
The slabs are joined by score and slip method and then sculpted to form the three-dimensional object.

The bottom of the base is finished.

Knitted cap and scarf are added.

Additonal elements are made for this work, including its lid in the form of a knitted baby's cap and a knitted scarf.

Coloration is added with underglazes.

After its successful initial firing to cone 06, the piece is embellished with two underglazes.
First, a thick later of bright red underglaze is applied to the entire surface.
This preliminary layer is wiped off with a sponge to reveal all the texture with glaze accentuation.
Then a thin coat of pink glaze is applied to the surface by air-brushing.
Refiring is next done to cone 5/6.

Additional overglazes and multiple firings complete this work.

A variety of overglazes are added to enhance the coloration and depth of this piece as it nears completion.

DETAILED VIEWS *

Collage of detailed views.