My approach to teapots has always been first on technicality and second on design. I started out wanting to make a teapot that was mine and unique on its own. I started my research by looking at teapots around my friends’, parents’, and grandparents’
homes and fell in love with the form rather quickly. I settled on a traditional round form with an antique kettle-inspired handle that embodies my love for technicality as well. My aim is to highlight and honor this traditional vessel with ease of
use and delicacy of design.
Making one of these teapots is a labor of love. When I schedule time for making them, I ensure that I have a series of at least four consecutive days in the studio. I throw every piece of a teapot, except for the handle, on the wheel. It has become extremely
important in my teapot practice to attach everything at once on the day I trim or, at the latest, the following day. This practice has improved drying and minimized surface cracks immensely.
Throwing the Components
Begin by throwing the body on the wheel, making the body as bulbous as you’re able for maximum volume. As you pull the walls of the teapot, leave a fair amount of clay in the top for a gallery. Be sure to cone in the top of the vessel after every
pull to encourage the bulbous form. Flatten the rim of the teapot wall with a finger to create a small shelf (1). This ensures a beefy gallery for a well-fitting lid that sits slightly down into the teapot.
After you pull the walls to completion, make the gallery with the corner of a straight-edged metal rib. Begin by marking a line first, then adding depth to the gallery with a finger inside the teapot for support (2). Once the gallery is inserted, measure
the opening very carefully with calipers (3).
Throw a rounded lid upside down to ensure that it fits into the gallery nicely (4). Measure this with calipers as well.
Next, throw not one, but two spouts—at least—per teapot. I manipulate and alter my spouts a lot and it’s very easy for me to get a little slice happy. When throwing the spouts, open them to the wheel head and pull them open and bulbous
on the bottom. Then, taper toward the top with a final flare out at the very tip (5). Once the spout is shaped, remove the slip with a rubber rib so that grabbing with your fingers is easier. Stop the wheel and cut the spout toward yourself with your
wire tool. Remove the spout from the bat or wheel by pinching it at the base on one side to give it a swollen belly on the other and set it aside to stiffen up (6).
Trimming the Components
Before you begin trimming, pull a few extra-long handles and have them set up in the shape you will use.
After the parts firm to leather hard, trim the excess clay off the body of the teapot into the shape you desire. For lid trimming, flip it over and trim a chunk of clay into the knob (7). The piece is thrown extra large at the base to contain what will
become the finial during trimming.
The spouts do not get trimmed but are covered after they reach soft leather hard.
Assembling the Teapot
Start by attaching the spout to the body, so you have a point of reference for the handle. Begin by slicing a great deal of the spout base off and shaping it to the profile of the teapot (8). Always take more from the section of the spout that is closer
to the lid so tea or water will not slosh out when in use. Note: When mapping out the placement for the spout, you want to make sure it is not sitting below the water line or way above it (9). Once mapped out and marked, make drainage
holes in an X or cross pattern for fluid movement when pouring (see 10). Score and slip the area on the teapot where your spout will attach and the spout itself (10). Fit the spout to the body and smooth first with fingers, then with ribs and sponges.
Next, turn the teapot to its profile and slice the spout horizontally with an X-Acto knife in a line that runs parallel to the ground or table (11). Continue to alter the spout until it looks how you want it to.
Earlier you pulled and set up handles that are larger than needed. Now you can tap volume into the ends of the handle to increase surface area for secure attachment or slice off however much you need for the right fit. Begin by observing the negative
space around your handle to achieve an antique kettle-handle look (12).
Mark where the handle will be placed, then score, slip, and attach it. Add supports underneath the handle to hold up the weight while it firms up (see 15). Add lugs around the base of the handle ends for additional structure and volume, especially if
you were not able to tap in enough volume.
For this particular handle, I add lugs to two different pitch points that further accentuate the kettle-handle shape (13). The lugs are smoothed, sponged, and ribbed until clean (14).
Drying and Firing
Cover the teapots in plastic for 12–24 hours before checking on them again. Typically, the following day, the handles are leather hard, and you can adjust anything that may have slumped or do any additional smoothing. Keep the pot covered for 12–24
more hours before slowly uncovering them. A hard and fast rule for me is anything with a handle needs to be under plastic post attachment for at least 12 hours. This allows all your pieces to come to the same dryness or wetness (15). Note: Remove
your supports when your teapot has reached hard leather hard. Leaving them in will increase the likelihood of handle breakage.
After the teapot is completely dry, it gets buffed with a Scotch-Brite or Brillo pad for extra smoothing. If you choose to do this, make sure you are outdoors, wearing a mask, and in a well-ventilated area. After the buffing stage, bisque fire the
pot to cone 05. Once your firing is complete, remove the teapot from the kiln, and wash it with water to remove any dust from the buffing. Allow the pot to fully dry, then glaze the interior with a liner glaze. When glazing the interior of your teapot,
make sure to blow into the spout and clear the drainage holes before the liner glaze dries completely.
Applying Decoration
For this surface treatment, specifically the blue, I use a series of underglazes and brushable glazes. I use liquid latex resist to divide the space where I will be layering materials. I add the latex to map out where the berries will be on the sides
of the teapot, thinking about how the plant will move across the three-dimensional form. Once the latex is dry, the background color is brushed on in three generous coats. Once the background has dried, I map out leaf shapes and add leaf veins. The
plant begins to come alive at this point. After the leaves dry, I lay down the background fillers and dots. Now, remove the latex resist before firing using an X-Acto knife. Lightly sponge the space where the latex was before the berry color was filled
in. Finish with a few more accessories and cleanup, then the teapot is ready to be fired to cone 6 in oxidation.
Process photos: Aley Avery.
Olivia Avery is a clay artist from Memphis, Tennessee. She has been working with clay for nine years. Her aim in this current body of work is to exemplify the spirit and energy coming from the plants and natural world through color, rhythm, and pattern. To see more of her work, visit oliviaaveryart.comor follow her on Instagram @oliviaaveryart.
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My approach to teapots has always been first on technicality and second on design. I started out wanting to make a teapot that was mine and unique on its own. I started my research by looking at teapots around my friends’, parents’, and grandparents’ homes and fell in love with the form rather quickly. I settled on a traditional round form with an antique kettle-inspired handle that embodies my love for technicality as well. My aim is to highlight and honor this traditional vessel with ease of use and delicacy of design.
Making one of these teapots is a labor of love. When I schedule time for making them, I ensure that I have a series of at least four consecutive days in the studio. I throw every piece of a teapot, except for the handle, on the wheel. It has become extremely important in my teapot practice to attach everything at once on the day I trim or, at the latest, the following day. This practice has improved drying and minimized surface cracks immensely.
Throwing the Components
Begin by throwing the body on the wheel, making the body as bulbous as you’re able for maximum volume. As you pull the walls of the teapot, leave a fair amount of clay in the top for a gallery. Be sure to cone in the top of the vessel after every pull to encourage the bulbous form. Flatten the rim of the teapot wall with a finger to create a small shelf (1). This ensures a beefy gallery for a well-fitting lid that sits slightly down into the teapot.
After you pull the walls to completion, make the gallery with the corner of a straight-edged metal rib. Begin by marking a line first, then adding depth to the gallery with a finger inside the teapot for support (2). Once the gallery is inserted, measure the opening very carefully with calipers (3).
Throw a rounded lid upside down to ensure that it fits into the gallery nicely (4). Measure this with calipers as well.
Next, throw not one, but two spouts—at least—per teapot. I manipulate and alter my spouts a lot and it’s very easy for me to get a little slice happy. When throwing the spouts, open them to the wheel head and pull them open and bulbous on the bottom. Then, taper toward the top with a final flare out at the very tip (5). Once the spout is shaped, remove the slip with a rubber rib so that grabbing with your fingers is easier. Stop the wheel and cut the spout toward yourself with your wire tool. Remove the spout from the bat or wheel by pinching it at the base on one side to give it a swollen belly on the other and set it aside to stiffen up (6).
Trimming the Components
Before you begin trimming, pull a few extra-long handles and have them set up in the shape you will use.
After the parts firm to leather hard, trim the excess clay off the body of the teapot into the shape you desire. For lid trimming, flip it over and trim a chunk of clay into the knob (7). The piece is thrown extra large at the base to contain what will become the finial during trimming.
The spouts do not get trimmed but are covered after they reach soft leather hard.
Assembling the Teapot
Start by attaching the spout to the body, so you have a point of reference for the handle. Begin by slicing a great deal of the spout base off and shaping it to the profile of the teapot (8). Always take more from the section of the spout that is closer to the lid so tea or water will not slosh out when in use. Note: When mapping out the placement for the spout, you want to make sure it is not sitting below the water line or way above it (9). Once mapped out and marked, make drainage holes in an X or cross pattern for fluid movement when pouring (see 10). Score and slip the area on the teapot where your spout will attach and the spout itself (10). Fit the spout to the body and smooth first with fingers, then with ribs and sponges.
Next, turn the teapot to its profile and slice the spout horizontally with an X-Acto knife in a line that runs parallel to the ground or table (11). Continue to alter the spout until it looks how you want it to.
Earlier you pulled and set up handles that are larger than needed. Now you can tap volume into the ends of the handle to increase surface area for secure attachment or slice off however much you need for the right fit. Begin by observing the negative space around your handle to achieve an antique kettle-handle look (12).
Mark where the handle will be placed, then score, slip, and attach it. Add supports underneath the handle to hold up the weight while it firms up (see 15). Add lugs around the base of the handle ends for additional structure and volume, especially if you were not able to tap in enough volume.
For this particular handle, I add lugs to two different pitch points that further accentuate the kettle-handle shape (13). The lugs are smoothed, sponged, and ribbed until clean (14).
Drying and Firing
Cover the teapots in plastic for 12–24 hours before checking on them again. Typically, the following day, the handles are leather hard, and you can adjust anything that may have slumped or do any additional smoothing. Keep the pot covered for 12–24 more hours before slowly uncovering them. A hard and fast rule for me is anything with a handle needs to be under plastic post attachment for at least 12 hours. This allows all your pieces to come to the same dryness or wetness (15). Note: Remove your supports when your teapot has reached hard leather hard. Leaving them in will increase the likelihood of handle breakage.
After the teapot is completely dry, it gets buffed with a Scotch-Brite or Brillo pad for extra smoothing. If you choose to do this, make sure you are outdoors, wearing a mask, and in a well-ventilated area. After the buffing stage, bisque fire the pot to cone 05. Once your firing is complete, remove the teapot from the kiln, and wash it with water to remove any dust from the buffing. Allow the pot to fully dry, then glaze the interior with a liner glaze. When glazing the interior of your teapot, make sure to blow into the spout and clear the drainage holes before the liner glaze dries completely.
Applying Decoration
For this surface treatment, specifically the blue, I use a series of underglazes and brushable glazes. I use liquid latex resist to divide the space where I will be layering materials. I add the latex to map out where the berries will be on the sides of the teapot, thinking about how the plant will move across the three-dimensional form. Once the latex is dry, the background color is brushed on in three generous coats. Once the background has dried, I map out leaf shapes and add leaf veins. The plant begins to come alive at this point. After the leaves dry, I lay down the background fillers and dots. Now, remove the latex resist before firing using an X-Acto knife. Lightly sponge the space where the latex was before the berry color was filled in. Finish with a few more accessories and cleanup, then the teapot is ready to be fired to cone 6 in oxidation.
Process photos: Aley Avery.
Olivia Avery is a clay artist from Memphis, Tennessee. She has been working with clay for nine years. Her aim in this current body of work is to exemplify the spirit and energy coming from the plants and natural world through color, rhythm, and pattern. To see more of her work, visit oliviaaveryart.com or follow her on Instagram @oliviaaveryart.
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