vignette woodfired teacup sn oh deer 1 | BITTERLEAF TEAS

The product of a collaboration between several artists and a ceramics studio in Jingdezhen, our Vignette Series teacups represent a perfect marriage of art and tea. These cups are more than simply a vessel for tea; they are a canvas and inspiration for the artists who worked on them.

Using various clays, glazes and materials, each piece is wood fired for several days. The results of wood firing teaware is dependent on many factors, including clay composition, firing duration, location and placement in the kiln, shape of the kiln, type/composition of wood being burned, etc. Each cup comes out reflecting various degrees of kiln changes (窑变).

After this first round of firing has finished, artists will choose pieces that they feel evoke a scene or subject. They then play off of the unintended patterns and colours from wood firing, developing a scene or subject of their own design. Each piece is hand painted in fine detail, taking advantage of naturally occurring textures and designs in the negative space.

The piece is finally fired for a second time in order to seal in the artwork. The variables of wood firing, along with employing various artists to work on these pieces mean that every cup is absolutely unique and inimitable.

View these pieces in our shop