Description
A hand pinched chawan for matcha tea made from clay and seaweed foraged close to Råå, a small fishing village just south of Helsingborg where I live. The chawan was made without the help of my potters wheel and only trimmed with a piece of wood I use to scrape and cut the foot. This tea bowl is fired inside a saggar (a closed jar used in firings to protect items from wood ash, or in my case to protect my kiln from fire) sitting on a bed of seaweed. There was also seaweed placed on the inside of the tea bowl.
I have done a lot of testing with different plant materials to reach this point and to achieve this desired effect. The red flashing of the clay on the bottom comes from the gases released in the firing by the seaweed. On the inside the ash falls to the surface, melting and joining the clay to create a glaze like material. The inside is somewhat like a birds nest of seaweed. The desired effect was to have this red flashing on the bottom and a matching surface on the inside so that the inner and outer surfaces were matching with the walls showing the natural colour and texture of the clay. Along the rim there are strings left by a few thin strands of seaweed. It is possible to make out the structure of the leaf in these markings and they are like a fossil describing the history of the bowl.
The three marks on the bottom of the bowl are from wadding which the bowl was standing on to protect it from bonding to the saggar with the ash. My makers stamp is impressed into the bottom of the bowl. This is a special piece intended for use in the tea ceremony and should be treated with care. Do not get oil on the surface, wash by hand and do not use detergents unless absolutely necessary. In this way the tea will not be impacted by other tastes except the taste of tea and the water.
