Yixing Style Teapots

Studio in Ceramics at Fayetteville-Manlius High School is an introductory course. Beginners are first introduced to pinching techniques. Pinching introduces students to the tactile qualities of clay, such as wetness, dryness, plasticity and workability. Clay body ingredients are also discussed. Students learn that additives, such as ball clay (improves elasticity), grog or temper (improves drying and firing characteristics) and water content (determines workability) all play a role in creating with clay.

After the Raku-style Tea Bowl unit which introduces basic pinch bowl construction, students are challenged to use their skills and imagination to create sculptural teapots in the style of Yixing. The Yixing province in China is blessed with clays known for their unique colors. An exact date for the origins of the first Yixing teapots hasn't been identified, but sculptural teapots appeared in China in the 14th Century. The art of Yixing teapots reached it's height during the Ming dynasty in the 17th. Century. These cleverly designed teapots depicting animals, vegetables, and ordinary objects, such as bundles of bamboo and leather bags were once-fired without glaze to stoneware temperatures. The most common fired clays were purple and cream colored. Originally popular with Buddhist monks, who drank tea to stay focused, Yixing teapots became popular throughout China. Due to the tea trade with Europe, many Yixing teapots which shipped to Europe. Today, these teapots are still being produced and are collected around the world. Many ceramists working today, such as Richard Notkin, acknowledge Yixing teapots as a source of inspiration.

The students-made teapots below, are examples of how creative and skillful beginners can be when they tune into the clay and use their imagination. Although genuine Yixing teapots are generally miniature, students were not limited to a specific scale.