Ok we and me- Okeewemee

Ok this is what we and me did with the 4 hand built teapots of Heather Smit. When you are collaborating with someones work that you like just the way they do it the work becomes more precious than when working on your own. If you screw up yours it's no big deal.
I have admitted it publicly before but I really don't enjoy the throwing of pots. I love trimming and playing with the pots and parts.
I wrapped Heather's pots in plastic and slept on the idea of them for a couple of nights. I thought I would sketch some ideas but it never happened. At noon I decided to get started. It took me all afternoon to mess with these four.
I was avoiding getting started but once I did I had a lot of fun.
The first one I did was more like I would do with an oval. This one reminds me of a Chuck Hindes  slab bottomed teapot with a Tony Clennell handle and a Heather Smit body.  Catherine White our other resident is doing some amazing work with Wild Clays making beautiful cracked slabs with a gorgeous red clay called Okeewemee which is a First Nations word for land between two rivers.
An iron.
I added crushed Okeewemee to the bottom added slabs and to the inside of the handle.

The second one Heather had added this triangle to the side just to mess with my mind. I used some triangles for the feet. When I put them on I made the two at the back lower so that the teapot would have this animated look. I call it the R. Crumb -Keep on Trucking' look. Then when I added the back handle it started to look like a sports car so I added a Kanthal wire shifter knob to the triangle. Crushed Okeewemee imbedded in the feet and knob.
Sports car

Nothing would do if I didn't introduce curling to one of the teapots. I turned the one teapot into a curling rock. I put some slip on the shoulder and pressed in some ground up Okeewemee.
Curling rock
The last one is our three way collaboration effort. Jennie Lorette Keatts is going to work her jewelry magic on this one.  Hoping to get this one in the Ratagama.
3 way collaboration
To celebrate our three way collaboration we have put a chop mark on the back for Heather and I. There is a special little dollop of clay with a hole in it that Jennie will add a silver hang tag with her initials on it.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Save the Art Program at Central Technical School, sign the petition and pass it on!

https://www.change.org/p/toronto-district-school-board-fight-for-central-tech-s-art-program
Anonymous said…
Sure hope that you are going to be at work in the Star Works Studio on Friday,February 21,2020 so I can pay you a visit.
Lobsta from Cape Cod

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