Teapottering... a continuing saga
It has oft been said ‘you’re not a real silversmith unless you’ve made a teapot’ - a challenging project that draws together a lot of complex skills, and must function well. Nobody wants a dribblesome teapot!
The 'Teapottering' project began in 2022 in my workshop, with myself and 3 others (Abigail Brown, Angus McFadyen and Cara Murphy) each making a deliberately challenging teapot, in order to learn, in order to pass skills on.
Tony Bedford offered to teach us for nothing, and this particular project was in honour of his pal, the late John Cussell, whose family created a fund for training silversmiths as a legacy. John was a lovely man, generous and kind-hearted, and passionate about silversmithing.
In July 2023 the four of us paid it forward, teaching a group of eight more professional silversmiths, in Sheffield (at Yorkshire Art Space) passing on some of what we have learned from Tony, where the 'students' were funded to take part by John's memorial fund.
My 'Nantlle' teapot (named for the valley where my workshop is in Eryri/Snowdonia) was designed to be an experiment in deliberately extending silversmithing skills. We had been discussing Japanese teapots between us, which are raised from a single sheet, including a stubby little spout integrally hammered from the body of the pot, not soldered on. I wanted to see if I could do the same, but make it more elegant, and push the boundaries. Tony (who is a very highly skilled Silversmith, at the bench since his teens, and ending his career as Director of silver and more at Asprey) said he had never seen such a thing done anywhere in the world, and we weren't sure it was possible. The others all chose different challenges, and we all learned together and from each other (as we continue to do).
Step by step progress Raising the teapot from a flat sheet
It's not possible to stretch the metal this far, it would thin too much, so it's more a case of highly selective and targeted raising, which is tricky, as the metal thickens rather than thins, and it becomes very challenging, especially to get tools inside. Anyway, it worked!
So, to extend the experiment, I designed an elegantly curved handle, which I made from a piece of slate foraged from Dorothea Quarry (beside the workshop) which was one of the four local slate quarries that roofed the world. It is fine grained, strong, non-conductive and takes a fine finish, not to mention a beautiful colour that compliments silver, perfect for a teapot handle, if a little unconventional. I cut a rough using a diamond saw, then rasped, filed and carved it by hand to fit the teapot.
The teapot has a double ringed foot for balance and aesthetic detail, and the knop is also carved slate. It pours beautifully.
The 'Teapottering' project has continued, with the five of us convening, usually twice a year, in my workshop, and learning collectively from Tony, working together on deliberately challenging projects, so that when we no longer have Tony available as a mentor of the highest order, we can support each other, as a hive silversmithing entity, to continue honouring and passing on some of Tony's vast experience as best we can. Together we are greater than the sum of the parts, and the confidence gained by being a collective is extremely powerful.
My latest Teapottering project is actually a jug (Juggernauting?), inspired by Henning Koppel (of Georg Jensen fame). We all visited the Jensen workshop a few years ago, and saw how they made Koppel's challenging designs. We decided to test a different way, again pushing boundaries. I am currently on my second copper version, which is working, and the third will be in silver (beginning next March).
Tony is an amazing person as well as an incredible silversmith, and we all owe him a huge debt of gratitude. He keeps coming up from Hertfordshire to work with us, Abi comes up from Cornwall, Angus from Northumberland, and Cara pops over from Northern Ireland.
My Nantlle teapot won a Bronze award in the Goldsmiths' Craft and Design Awards, and was featured in my solo exhibition 'Illuminating Silver' at Craft in the Bay in Cardiff, the catalogue of which is for sale for £12 in my online shop. It was also in the Newby Teas 'New Forms' exhibition in Spring 2025, along with the other’s finished teapots.