The Final Stretch: Tea Sets Ready for the Fire

We’re in the final weeks of term, and the Clay Hands studio is buzzing with last-minute adjustments, careful drying, and the satisfying hum of creative completion. Our first Tea Ceremony Showdown is approaching its dramatic conclusion!

Teapots Beyond Our Wildest Dreams

The hand-built teapots have truly blown us away. Walking through the studio feels like touring a gallery of infinite possibility—so many different shapes, textures, styles, and stories, all responding to the same simple brief.

From architectural marvels to whimsical creatures, minimalist elegance to maximalist decoration, our students have proven that there are countless approaches to making the “same” form. Each piece carries its maker’s unique fingerprint, reflecting not just technical skill but personal vision and creative courage.

The Chopstick Chronicles

Meanwhile, our wheel throwers have been tackling the particular challenge of lidded sugar pots—creating vessels from closed forms that require precision, patience, and one very special tool. Any guesses what that might be?

A chopstick! This humble utensil has become the hero of our throwing sessions, allowing students to create the galley of the closed forms. We’ve watched with admiration as potters learn to control moisture levels and manage their clay carefully, ensuring they have enough material to complete these technically demanding pieces.

The concentration has been intense, with students discovering that successful closed forms require a delicate dance between patience and decisiveness.

Unexpected Community

Perhaps the most beautiful surprise has been the human element of this challenge. As one student observed, “It’s been amazing to see how the competition has actually fostered more sense of collaboration and community.”

Another noted how “so cool to meet different aspects of people’s personalities,” while others have remarked on “the sense of communal problem solving” that has emerged. Rather than creating division, the challenge has brought our pottery community closer together.

Erin says that “it’s been so amazing that this is only my second ever project and it’s a whole teapot, that I can use!”. We’ve loved seeing people rise to this challenge.

The Final Push

Now it’s over to our dedicated team to get all these beauties safely dried and fired in time for the glazing marathon in our final week of term. The bisque firing will be crucial—each piece needs to survive this first trip through the kiln before students can add their chosen glazes and colors.

The anticipation is building toward our July judging, and we genuinely don’t envy whoever accepts our invitation to be the external judge. The standard has been extraordinary, and the variety means comparing apples to oranges—or perhaps teapots to sugar pots!

Stay tuned for our final updates as these tea ceremony masterpieces head toward completion. Time to get glazed!