The goal of my sculpture project was to explore fun, childish style within utilitarian design. As the project progressed I noticed the tea pots began to take on personalities of their own. I began by sculpting the tea cup itself and then moved on to forming the legs. The legs were formed by pinching and rolling the clay – it was all guess work at first. Once I became comfortable with the base sculpture process I began to explore with the clothing of the tea cups.
The sculptures remind me of the Studio Ghibli film, Arrietty. Arrietty is a tiny Borrower who lives in the human world and often observes humans from a distance. Her size is put into perspective with her comparison to things like sugar cubes, spoons, leaves, flowers, and thimbles. She seems to be around three inches tall and holds sugar cubes like humans may hold an average size box.
The sculptures were painted with acrylic paint and varnished. The leaves, books, acorn tops, and sculptures were secured in place with museum putty. Each tea cup was filled with tea and water and so was each miniature acorn tea cup. The tea cups were meant to appear as if they were looking out at the art and letting their tea steep in the process. I enjoyed the sculpture, painting, and installation. My friends and professors also enjoyed the scavenger hunt of looking for the little tea cup observers.
