Biography

Far from ordinary, Central Otago ceramic artist Marion Mewburn creates fantastic and idiosyncratic teapots, featuring intricate and sometimes hidden elements.
In 1996 Marion started making teapots, first in Waitati, north of Dunedin, then in Millers Flat, where she now lives.
She mainly makes teapots.
“Teapots. Teapots. Which is probably also because I have done them for a long time now and I am "known for them".
For me, a teapot is something which is used every day. So it must be completely functional - it must be well-balanced, must pour perfectly, and feel comfortable to hold. Which means all the functional elements - spout, lid and handle - must have specific characteristics in order for them to work properly. There are some 'rules' which can't be broken ... though it's always fun (and challenging) to see just how far I can s-t-r-e-t-c-h them.
So I start with a completely functional teapot, then embroider it with textures, relief work, structural and mobile elements, often with the aim of capturing humorous, poignant or dysfunctional moments in life."
Technical info: I use white stoneware and fire to 1200° in an electric kiln. The colours are applied under glaze in various ways at different stages. The moving parts (flowers etc) on wires are firmly attached after firing with epoxy resin. The reason for this is that any wire which survives 1200° in the kiln without melting is really ugly to look at. I prefer copper for that reason...