King Penguins Upright Ring Teapot
photo by Jon Barber
There are 18 species of penguins, and only 3 or 4 are threatened or endangered. I realized while sculpting these King Penguins, which are not threatened with extinction but are majestic and handsome, that I was attracted as an artist to modeling exotic or unusual animals regardless of their endangered status. I am deeply sympathetic to the plight of endangered life forms, but did not want to limit my artwork to a political crusade for their protection. I admire artists who dedicate their art to such an endeavor, but I can’t put my full heart into that artistic direction. I just love penguins, and making this teapot helped me clarify my future artistic goals. I tried to make the penguins on the lid look like they are diving off the edge of an ice floe into the cold Antarctic waters, and I chose the pale cream glaze to emphasize the penguins’ snowy habitat. A photograph of this “King Penguins Upright Ring Teapot” was used as the main advertising image publicizing the 1997 Stratton Arts Festival, a juried exhibition of artwork in all media by 217 Vermont artists, held at the Stratton Mountain Ski Area Base lodge, Bondville, Vermont.
cone 5 oxidation-fired stoneware.
15” Tall x 14” Wide x 4” Deep
This teapot was purchased for a private collection in Connecticut.
