Artist Statement
For my sustained investigation I wanted to focus on teapots and the ways that changing the position, size, or shape of either the handle or spout of the teapot affects its functionality. My resulting investigative question was: how can I make the most functional teapot while making them still pleasing? I first became interested in teapots because they were useful to practice many different types of throwing techniques in order to make something both practical and beautiful. In order to make a teapot that was both functional and beautiful, the weight of both the spout and handle and their respective locations are important. The center of gravity of the teapot determines the feel when pouring tea and in order to feel balanced must be kept in mind. Most importantly, the teapot needs to pour consistently and stop as soon as you stop pouring. By carefully drawing examples of what I had in mind, I was able to make my pots more functional by carefully determining where the handle and spout were placed on my pots and by making the tip of the spout exceed the top of the pot so that water wouldn’t leak from the top of the pot.