F25 11

This week I worked on deconstructing the teacups and reassembling them. I used a tool that laid out where to evenly cut fifths in the cups, marked with a felting knife, sliced, then slipped and scored the pieces back together. I saw a visual on Jeff Campana’s process, and noticed he cut through the pot’s foot. I attempted to follow on Tuesday but found out today that after lightly drying under plastic, I did not compress one seam enough. The first attempt took about an hour and a half, so I decided to do a different cut and followed a flower-like cut. This cut assembly takes about an hour to mark, cut, reassemble, and burnish and was much easier to reattach successfully.

I also printed a stamp of the double happiness Chinese character often used in Vietnamese wedding decorations. I’ve been stamping the insides of the cups so that it can be seen when held or being sipped from.

I really enjoy the idea of wood firing these teacups. The idea of having less control of the outcome and collaborating with the burning elements and other pots in the firing feels right to my process. I’m excited to finish assembling and prep for bisque. Below are pictures of the two types preburnished.