an English tearoom - the making

the pottery tale of the journey from sketch to reality

you know that feeling, where you peek into a window, and the view stirs a story waiting to be told within you. this is how an english tearoom came to be. i was walking around my little town the other day, and peeked into the most lovely window pane, and a part of me felt transported into a film waiting to be told. who were the characters in the room? what were their lives? and this was pretty much how an english room was born. :)

an english tearoom started off being a sketch that i drew up many weeks ago, and then tucked away, hoping that someday, the feeling of the tale waiting to be told, through the making of the mug sketched out, or a story written out, would be expressed.

the other day, i picked up one of my bisque-fired porcelain mugs, and tried to figure out what colours to paint it. i felt right away - pastel pink and green, and i found myself painting out this pattern, before quickly realising that i was subconsciously painting a variant of an english tearoom!

at this stage, as the mug is only bisque-fired, all the paint and illustrations have been applied with underglazes and it’s yet to be glazed. i can’t wait to share what the finished version looks like, and to see how the colours come out post-glaze (wish us - me and my baby mug, luck).

in the meantime, there’s the story, still, waiting to be told.. about an english tearoom..

.. she gazed at the lush green fields, quaint villages and the gentle embrace of a different culture. the air felt crisp, carrying with it a sense of adventure and the promise of new encounters.

as she wandered through picturesque lanes, she chanced upon a charming tearoom, with the most beautiful window pane, and a lovely green vase filled with red flowers gently placed by the window. the tearoom was nestled in a village with cobblestone streets, with an inviting facade that beckoned her inside. it was a haven of tranquillity, a sanctuary where time seemed to slow down, with each movement and frame, lightly decorated with the sound of soft vocal jazz.. “let me see what spring is like on.. jupiter and mars..”

she tipped into the tearoom, greeted by the fragrant aroma of freshly brewed tea, and the soft melodies of frank sinatra playing in the background. the interior was hygge, with comfortable armchairs and vintage decor that whispered tales of a bygone era.

she settled in with a cup of fragrant chai tea, and a slice of freshly baked lemon cake. and in this moment, she felt a connection and resonance with this tearoom. it was a bridge between her small hometown she missed dearly, and this enchanting new home, blending the flavours, aromas and stories of both worlds.

..to be continued..

the english tearoom is a project i hold dear to my heart as it continuously calls out for this story to be told. i recently received the first version of the english tearoom from the kiln, and although i love the way it looks visually, my poor baby came out with a lot of craze lines, rendering it only decorative and not functional.

the past few days has been spent trying to understand what went wrong, and what i plan on doing differently next time.

for the next version of the english tearoom, i plan on experimenting with having more of a pastel pink. if you notice, the pink colors are actually lighter prior to being glazed and fired, and with pottery, it takes some testing out to get a sense of how colours come out post glaze, and i was hoping for a more pastel effect. so that’s one aspect i’ve been playing around with. i may mix this rose underglaze color with white, to see if that comes out with a more pastel look.

i’d also love to make it overall thinner, while i love a good chunky mug, i think it would be interesting to play around with using less clay and having thinner rims.

i’d also love to make a thinner frame, similar to the initial sketch, and once again, play around with a different shade of grey that i’m hoping will product more of a pastel effect.

i’m thinking of not using underglaze pencils as well to outline, so it looks more like a painting, and less of a sketch

this time, i’ll be working with a different type of porcelain, and a different type of glaze as well. the craze lines most likely occurred because the glaze i used (a low fire at 1046 c glaze) didn’t match the clay body (porcelain), and it was also fired at 1030, which was way too low. i’ve now learnt that the glaze and clay body need to be compatible when it comes to firing temperatures, porcelain generally fires at higher temperatures, and the kiln also needs to be fired to the temperature needed for both the clay and the glaze. phew, all of the lessons, but trying to be graceful with myself as i learn along the way and my potter peers have been so supportive in reassuring me about this journey with clay and the ups and downs it comes with.

and last but not least, i’d love to leave room to see what comes during creating the next version of this piece, and where my heart and hands lead.

and on that note, stay tuned for more updates on the journey to making the english tea-room :)