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Making Functional Ceramic Teapots

 Functional Ceramic Art reaches its 
 quintessence when  the potter achieves
 a well-balanced teapot that pours 
 without dribbling, is not too delicate
 for use or too  heavy to lift, and has a lid 
 that does not tumble off while pouring. The 
 well-crafted teapot also includes the basic
 design elements of artistic pottery.


 In essence, a teapot is a covered jar with a 
 spout and  handle attached to it. 
 The position of the spout and  attachment
 of the handle are very important to the
  pot's functional success. A pot must not 
 leak out of  the spout when filled to the
 top, or dribble or spurt when poured. 
 The shape of the body of the pot should 
 be balanced, not too tall and not too 
 squat. That is,  the pot must have an adequate
 foot so that it does  not fall over,
 and should not be so squat that it cannot
  pour correctly.


 The placement and shape of the spout are,
 therefore, of utmost importance to its function.
 By shaping the  spout in a funnel with a
 smooth inside and cutting it  to precisely
 fit the body, with a tip that comes above 
 the lip of the pot, a functional pot is 
 achieved. I make  a spout that is cut at the tip
  and flicked into a pitcher  spout with
 a feddling knife. Although the tip of the 
 spout is delicate, I find this pot pours best. 
 The holes of  the sieve should not
 be too small or too large. If the holes are
 too large, there will be tea leaves in the cup.  
 These holes must be numerous or the tea 
 will spurt out. 


 The skilled craftsman must make a strong 
 handle juxtaposed 180( from the spout. The 
 top of the handle  should be above the body to
 lend support for the weight of the liquid and 
 the pot. The walls of the pot must not be 
 too thin or it will break in use. The pot 
 should not weigh a ton, as all our tea drinkers
  are not Rugby players. 


 The lid of the pot must fit securely and not 
 fall off whilst  the pot is turned at a perpendicular 
 angle. The shape of  the lip of the pot can be 
 flanged to secure the lid for  pouring from 45
  up to 90 without falling off. The lids of 
 my teapots are of two varieties:  a double 
 flanged simple  top that I make right side up,
 and a bell-shaped top that  I make upside-down.
 Both tops are made off the mound.  I bisque fire 
 the tops in the pots to make certain of a 
 proper fit. 


 Truly, the Chanoyu (Japanese tea masters) 
 elevate the  simplicity and functionality
 of the teapot maker to that of art.
 An aesthetic combination of the simple table  
 with the teapot challenges intuition, reason 
 and action.  All the functional parts of the
 teapot must work together   harmoniously. 
 The decoration of the pot should  not 
 overshadow its reason for being. It is a 
 pot for  making tea.  Loud and  busy
 glaze decorations  subtract from the 
 simple essence of the ceremony  of tea 
 making and drinking. The challenge is 
 great and much practice is required  to
 achieve an elegant teapot which pours 
 gracefully.