Functional Vessel Artist's Statement
For this project, I designed two ceramic pieces, a teapot and a tea mug. The teapot is made of geometric slabs and has an angled base with a geometric handle and spout. The whole teapot has two pieces, as the rectangular lid detaches from the base featuring a small cubic handle. The mug was designed after the teapot and it a very simple cylindrical slab design with a thick slab handle.
This project was originally only supposed to include the teapot and not the mug. The teapot was made only of geometric slabs, using slipping and scoring techniques to attach the pieces together. The focus was on the form of the piece and trying to make an angled base that would still be structurally sound. Andrew Molleur was the ceramicist used as inspiration for this project. For the mug, it was designed using the slab method as well, and it also focuses on basic, geometric form.
I made this teapot thinking about my dad and his parents. My grandparents live in Scotland and drink tea nearly constantly, so when asked to design a functional vessel, I wanted to build a teapot thinking of them. I also thought that a teapot would be a fun and unique structure to build, even though it proved to be difficult with all of the details necessary to complete the structure. Although the mug was more of an afterthought, I am glad I designed it along with the teapot, because even though it is simple, it makes the two pieces a set.
I think that this project was very successful, and I am very happy with the final two pieces. The teapot did not come out exactly as as I had originally envisioned, however I am happy with the more rectangular structure as opposed to the intended cylindrical structure. If i were to remake the teapot, I may make the lid a more interesting an unique shape though. The mug I am very happy with because even though it is extremely simple, It was made in only one day, and I think the final project came out very smooth and neat despite the tight time frame.
This project was originally only supposed to include the teapot and not the mug. The teapot was made only of geometric slabs, using slipping and scoring techniques to attach the pieces together. The focus was on the form of the piece and trying to make an angled base that would still be structurally sound. Andrew Molleur was the ceramicist used as inspiration for this project. For the mug, it was designed using the slab method as well, and it also focuses on basic, geometric form.
I made this teapot thinking about my dad and his parents. My grandparents live in Scotland and drink tea nearly constantly, so when asked to design a functional vessel, I wanted to build a teapot thinking of them. I also thought that a teapot would be a fun and unique structure to build, even though it proved to be difficult with all of the details necessary to complete the structure. Although the mug was more of an afterthought, I am glad I designed it along with the teapot, because even though it is simple, it makes the two pieces a set.
I think that this project was very successful, and I am very happy with the final two pieces. The teapot did not come out exactly as as I had originally envisioned, however I am happy with the more rectangular structure as opposed to the intended cylindrical structure. If i were to remake the teapot, I may make the lid a more interesting an unique shape though. The mug I am very happy with because even though it is extremely simple, It was made in only one day, and I think the final project came out very smooth and neat despite the tight time frame.