My Nana

My Nana was the first person to give me an appreciation of the soothing powers of a cup of tea served in fine china. Now, when I drink tea and make teacups and teapots it reminds me of all the lovely cups of tea I've had over the years in Nana's old teacups, from the 1970's cup and saucer sets completely covered in gold through to "fine, bone china" cups with roses on the interior. This was just one of the many, many precious things she bought into my life.


She died yesterday at the age of 89.

Invitations.........

This necklace is from "Revisiting the Australian Landscape - interpreting the landscape on an intimate scale"
Redland Art Gallery, Cleveland
Sunday 18 July – Sunday 15 August 2010
Opening Event 11am Sunday 18 July 2010

As you can see the fabulous Rebecca Ward is the feature artist on the invitation with one of the pieces she has developed for the Swamp Cartography project that we have been working on.

Here is another invitation........ I am in the "Teawares" show at the Jamfactory in Adelaide opening this Friday evening.

"Teawares
Selected Australian ceramic, metal and furniture designers
With a rich history of travel through trade, links to British imperialism, strong cultural significance through tea ceremonies and countless personal memories of grandmother’s scones and tea service, the enduring properties or tea have ensured its place as an important beverage within daily life. Tea is a fertile subject for investigation by writers and artists alike. Drawing on the real and the mythic, this stunning exhibition combines compelling contemporary tea wares in ceramic and metal in a setting of finely crafted furniture."
This should be a really interesting show as it includes metalwork and furniture.
Spoons by Anna Varendorf
Teaset by Kenji Uranishi

..and for the Grande Finale

For the Grand Finale of the Ultimate Virtual Teapot Competition I present Yi xing teapots without exception and Australian ceramicist extraordinaire Bruce Nuske.

Yi Xing teapots are still being produced after ten centuries and my favourites are made of a beautiful, fine grained purple clay. These teapots are made by hand in many designs. The traditional Yi xing teapots feature raised sprigs and small sculptures representing "Good Luck" or "Money". There are hundreds of designs from pumpkin shapes through to more formal plain surfaces. The quality of a Yi Xing teapot can be seen in the slightly metallic surface which should make a clear ringing sound when struck lightly and the lid which should fit without room for a single hair between the pot and the gallery. The teapot absorbs the flavour of the tea and it is said that a good quality Yi Xing teapot will be able to make tea after many years by just adding hot water.


Australian ceramicist Bruce Nuske is my final choice. His beautiful/crazy teapots combine an encyclopaedic knowledge of ceramic history and techniques with a whimsy and emphasis on surface design. I love the way Nuske's pots quote from the grand industrial traditions of the Victorians while being defiantly handmade. The surface design references chintzes, Wedgewood and other familiar industrial patterns but on close inspection reveals amazing technical details such as the piercing on this dried leaf teapot.

To find out a it more about Bruce there is a great article by Stephen Bowers here....

teapots continued......

My second choice is the wonderful Jane Sawyer's tactile, warm, heavy pot.  Regular readers of this blog will know that I use one of Jane's pots every day.  The finger marks in the slip give me so much pleasure as my hand washes the pot out brushing against the marks in counter rhythm.

The other pot I own is a Phil Elson teapot.  Phil is also an Australian potter and this teapot is just perfect in every way.  The pouring is particularly lovely as is the shape which manages to be both contemporary and classic.

The perfect pot of tea

Last night I had the honor of being the judge of the Maleny Teapot Competition!  The judging of the Functional section really got me thinking about what it is that I care for in a teapot.  I always have tea first thing in the morning and since I've had children it is mostly WAY too early.  The pot has to have a soothing quality to the handle.  Nothing about the way it works must jar me or make me feel as if I am about to drop the pot or hot water on myself.  The colours must be harmonious but also intriguing because, of course a cup of a tea is also essential in the afternoon.......

I don't mind a single drip in the pour as it is often the fault of the user rather than the design but I don't like more than one drip.  I like a teapot that when full is easy to lift with one hand.  

Making tea is such a lovely activity for me, my favourite tea a mixture of English Breakfast and Broken Orange Pekoe is drunk alone, with milk and Tasmanian Leatherwood honey staring out the window into the trees and thinking my thoughts.

Here I've compiled my dream competition I'd love to judge these pots  but it would have to be one of those unsatisfying competitions where everyone is a winner.

My first selection a Malcolm Greenwood teapot. Malcolm Greenwood is a Sydney based potter. His functional ware combines form and function. Malcolm's pots are designed to be integrated into life and exude calm and a quite authority.