Yixing Teapots.... playing with fire
The magic of the kiln never ceases to amaze us. We're in Yixing at the moment discussing clays, shapes and the pots we'd like to commission in the coming weeks and months. The easiest part is deciding shapes and sizes we'd like to commission. Then we need to work out what batches of clay we will use, free from any additives. Even then, we need to decide on what firing we like & it can make so much of a difference!
Above are 7 pots, all made from the same batch of Jiangponi clay. The difference is in the firing - with the lowest fired on the left (1170°C), to the highest on the right (1240°C). What a difference a few degrees make!  The one on the right is a bit of an outlier - it was wood fired, which also makes a difference, the others were fired with gas.
The following pictures are the raw ore, the processed clay and close ups of a couple of the fired pots.
Above are 7 pots, all made from the same batch of Jiangponi clay. The difference is in the firing - with the lowest fired on the left (1170°C), to the highest on the right (1240°C). What a difference a few degrees make!  The one on the right is a bit of an outlier - it was wood fired, which also makes a difference, the others were fired with gas.
The following pictures are the raw ore, the processed clay and close ups of a couple of the fired pots.
Unprocessed Yixing Ore
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Processed Yixing Clay
