This stoneware clay teapot was a commissioned work intended by the buyer to be a memorial portrait of his deceased pet, a long-haired Dachshund named Allie, who was also called Pumpkin by the buyer’s wife.  The pumpkin was formed using a slipcast mold; the pumpkin stem on the dog’s head was made from a newly-created slip-cast mold. The dog bone lid, located at the top of the pumpkin at the back of the dog’s neck, was made from a press mold of a dog’s bone.The handle, in the form of a leash, was made from extruded clay.The dog’s collar was slab constructed.
The fur is a composite of extruded components, slip and carving. This teapot was fired multiple times in an electric kiln after various glazes were applied, from cone 5 – cone 018.