Verdant Tea

These spectacular orange mottled gongfu teacups reflect artist Yi Xuan’s research into complex ash-glaze and earthen mineral glaze combination techniques that involve multiple firings and layers to capture the depth and complexity of cai shao wood firing with the nuance and control of electric firing, yielding a delicate crackling almost celadon-like effect. Each piece is entirely handmade, one of only five to come out of the kiln this year! Each of the five pieces has slight natural variation, part of the beauty of truly hand-made work from one of China’s preeminent ceramics research scholars.

Artist Yi Xuan took this cup through two full firing processes, first, an electric firing to set the porcelain, then a dip in a hand-blended ash glaze and an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. The result of this painstaking process is a unique, deep, complex cup that shows off the heat signature of the kiln and the way glazing interacts with unglazed porcelain across multiple firings. Work like this is what puts the Yi Xuan Ceramics Research Institute on the map!

This beautiful tea cup is entirely hand-thrown by artist Yi Xuan and came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This cup is not glazed - its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This beautiful tea cup is entirely hand-thrown by artist Yi Xuan and came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This cup is not glazed - its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This beautiful tea cup is entirely hand-thrown by artist Yi Xuan and came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This cup is not glazed - its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This beautiful tea cup is entirely hand-thrown by artist Yi Xuan and came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This cup is not glazed - its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This beautiful tea cup is entirely hand-thrown by artist Yi Xuan and came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This cup is not glazed - its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This beautiful tea cup is entirely hand-thrown by artist Yi Xuan and came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This cup is not glazed - its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand. This cup was shaped with higher tall sides to direct and concentrate the aromatics of classic Wuyi Oolongs or Tieguanyin.

This hand-built piece by artist Yi Xuan looks like it was hewn from a solid piece of stone, the way she shaped this by hand to preserve a solid anchoring feeling accentuated by her unique two step firing that involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years.

This hand-built spectacular moonlight white tea cup reflects artist Yi Xuan’s research into complex ash-glazing techniques that involve multiple firings and layers of glaze to capture the depth and complexity of cai shao wood firing with the nuance and control of electric firing, yielding a delicate crackling almost celadon-like effect. Holding the cup in hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years. Yi Xuan stamped this cup with her seal in the middle of the base for a beautiful contrast where the character "玄" fills in.

This hand-built piece by artist Yi Xuan looks like it was hewn from a solid piece of stone, the way she shaped this by hand to preserve a solid anchoring feeling accentuated by her unique two step firing that involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years.

This hand-built piece by artist Yi Xuan looks like it was hewn from a solid piece of stone, the way she shaped this by hand to preserve a solid anchoring feeling accentuated by her unique two step firing that involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years.

This hand-built piece by artist Yi Xuan looks like it was hewn from a solid piece of stone, the way she shaped this by hand to preserve a solid anchoring feeling accentuated by her unique two step firing that involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years.

Pouring tea into such a deep nuanced pitcher lights up the subtle color variation brought on by artist Yi Xuan’s incredible three day high-temperature wood-firing process. The natural iridescence and metallic swirling is an artifact of the extreme heat patterns reflecting in the kiln. This pitcher is not glazed, its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing. The pitcher is built out of improbably thin porcelain, not clay, since only Yi Xuan’s special porcelain blend can stand up to the outrageous heat of her kiln. The unglazed porcelain makes this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

Artist Yi Xuan has studied ceramics traditions from across the world, including a three year research project on coffee culture that exposed her to larger mugs. This hand-built piece looks like it was hewn from a solid piece of stone, the way she shaped this by hand to preserve a solid anchoring feeling accentuated by her unique two step firing that involves an electric kiln firing to set the unglazed porcelain, followed by application of a blended ash glaze and finally an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. Holding the cup in hand, it feels like holding an ancient piece unearthed after thousands of years.

This teacup is large enough to hold in two hands and use for matcha or hold the full brew of a small yixing pot for solo brewing. Artist Yi Xuan was so proud of how this piece turned out that she applied her ancient-style seal to the bottom of the cup, where unglazed porcelain shows through the swirling colors of her hand-blended ash glaze. The rippling shape of the cup feels deeply intentional in its sculpting, and shows off the deep red and white so beautifully. Artist Yi Xuan took this cup through two full firing processes, first, an electric firing to set the porcelain, then a dip in a hand-blended ash glaze and an extensive multi-day wood-firing in her old-school kiln, reaching temperatures so high that the cup has to be hand-built from her custom porcelain blend instead of traditional clay. The result of this painstaking process is a unique, deep, complex cup that shows off the heat signature of the kiln and the way glazing interacts with unglazed porcelain across multiple firings. Work like this is what puts the Yi Xuan Ceramics Research Institute on the map!

This set of four tea cups by artist Yi Xuan is inscribed with the classical four character expression 松风水月, a line from a Tang Dynasty Li Ye poem describing a scene of perfect tranquility- pine trees bending lightly in the wind and moonlight on the water. This reference to natural beauty in transition pairs with the spirit of Yi Xuan’s own work- a portrait of her wood-fired kilns fleeting heat signature, and the spirit of gongfu tea itself. The iridescent cups are entirely hand-thrown by artist Yi Xuan and came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. These tea cups are not glazed - their color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

Artist Yi Xuan loves old-school Fujianese Gongfu tea, where three or seven cups are lined up in a triangle, and tea is poured straight from a gaiwan into the cups for guests so it can be appreciated at peak aromatics. This set of three small gongfu tasting cups is perfect for serious oolong tasting. These stunning pieces are entirely hand-thrown by artist Yi Xuan and came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. The cups are not glazed- their color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making them incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This stunning hand-built, wood-fired Gaiwan is from artist Yi Xuan’s personal collection, a piece that came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This gaiwan is not glazed- its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This stunning hand-built, wood-fired Gaiwan is from artist Yi Xuan’s personal collection, a piece that came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This gaiwan is not glazed- its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This stunning hand-built, wood-fired Gaiwan is from artist Yi Xuan’s personal collection, a piece that came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This gaiwan is not glazed- its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This stunning hand-built, wood-fired Gaiwan is from artist Yi Xuan’s personal collection, a piece that came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This gaiwan is not glazed- its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.

This stunning hand-built, wood-fired Gaiwan is from artist Yi Xuan’s personal collection, a piece that came out of the kiln with natural swirling iridescence, an artifact of the extreme heat of her three day firing process that gets so hot she has to build her work from a special hand-blended porcelain mix instead of traditional clay which would otherwise break apart in the kiln. This gaiwan is not glazed- its color comes entirely from iron-oxide dusts present in her porcelain reacting to the heat of the firing, making this piece incredibly thin and light, a true pleasure to hold in the hand.