Another reason the Buddha laughs: these two teapots are a collaboration dance between my friend Manny (www.mannybeads.etsy.com), who created the turquoise cairn stupa on each lid. These teapots are resonant with sacred joy; each stone seems to sing in harmony with the other. Sterling silver wire is used to attach the stones to the lid.
I have two teapots currently. This listing is for one teapot. One is slightly larger, with a volume of 3 quarts. The smaller (first two photos) has a volume of 2.5 quarts. Both will serve a very large tea party! On one teapot the lid has a flange that stabilizes it as the teapot is tipped to pour. The other has a deep insert that fits securely. The cane handles are from England.
This teapot will become a family heirloom. Give it as an unforgettable wedding or anniversary gift. Or treat yourself to a true meditation experience with the Buddha smiling in your kitchen.
Brew black, green, white and herbal teas directly within the teapot. I have carved holes behind the spout in the teapot body, to serve as a strainer for the tea leaves. Or use teabags if you prefer. Pour and enjoy. The graceful spouts pour clean streams of tea.
Size: 10" tall, with handle, 10:" wide. Volume: these big Buddha bellies hold 2.5 - 3 quarts.
I have matching Buddha Smiles teabowls. Please contact me for more information.
I have found inspiration for my teapots from the Yixing (pronounced yee-shing) tradition of China's Sung Dynasty, which also also uses unglazed, burnished clay with a high mica content. Like the whimsical Yixing teapots this mica clay teapot will absorb a tiny amount of tea flavor during brewing. After prolonged use, the pot will develop a coating that retains the flavor and color of the tea. In the strict Yixing tradition only one variety of tea is used for each pot so that after a time, one can just add hot water to brew tea from the accumulated flavoring!
About my process:
I throw and trim my mica pots on my potter's wheel, then meticulously polish them by hand with a smooth rock to create a smooth surface. This burnishing of the surface takes the place of a glaze. No additional glaze is applied, making these pots naturally chemical-free. After the pots are polished, buffed and fully dry, I fire them in my small natural gas kiln to 1800 degrees. A second firing it in a wood pit fire creates the "fire clouds". When the burning wood makes contact with the clay wall of the pot a smokey image forms. Each fire cloud is unique, a true gift of the fire.
I make offerings and prayers with blue corn at every stage of the process of creating a vessel. Each teapot I've made seems to require from 18 - 20 hours of tender loving hands-on care, from clay to fired pot. It is signed with my potter's name Patch, (a name I was given at UC Santa Cruz when I first learned to throw pottery back in the sixties) and dated 2011.
This clay is unlike any other clay I've known during my forty years as a potter. The mica comprises up to 80%, is very sturdy and has a healing quality. Mica has been used in Native American medicine bags for protection and thwarting negativity. I find its energy signature to be of an angelic being, named Micah, who will come when called.
Caring for your mica teapot: Rinse out with warm water (no soap) if you need to remove loose tea leaves. Otherwise, do nothing, and your teapot will gradually take on the flavorful essence of the tea you use in it. Do not place in microwave, please, out of respect for our Clay Mother.
Have any questions?
Contact the shop owner.
