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Honestly if you’re given the choice between Armageddon or tea you don’t say ‘what kind of tea?’ -Neil Gaiman, I say let the world go to hell but I should always have my tea. -Fyodor Dostoevsky, Pottery, Sculpture, She's a witch of trouble in electric blue In her own mad mind she's in love with you., Tea for two hundred and two, The Infinite Improbability Drive- hooking the logic circuits of a Bambleweeny 57 Sub-Meson Brain to an atomic vector plotter suspended in a strong Brownian Motion producer (say a nice hot cup of tea), Tiffin innit, Wind in the willow's playin' 'Tea For Two' The sky was yellow and the sun was blue
As most of you are aware, Esme loves a nice cup of tea with her sticky bun of an afternoon/late morning/dead of the night – therefore the following teapots by Michael Grafton are an absolute joy to behold. Here are the two links I found for him, if you are not au fait (or care not a jot) with/for Facebook he does have a blog, however doesn’t use it much. I have gleaned from the Twits that in 2009 Mitchell started his own art-pottery company, Grafton Pottery, in Panama City. There is no online connection to that mind. I’m wild about his creativity.
http://graftonpottery.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/graftonpottery/photos
I did try to keep the number of photos down some, but ultimately had to at least include the following set. Suitable for the maddest of tea parties . . .
Enjoy.
The above . . . my favourite.
The detail of the mouse, beautiful cracked glazing.
Esme's Cloud 
Oh my stars! (I struggled to find a comment appropriate. Heaven wasn’t high enough. Goodness was too weak. So, I landed on ‘stars’ as the most appropriate expression.)
I now want to earn enough money to buy all of his tea sets! You may have created a monstrous teapot addiction in me, and I didn’t even know that was a thing!
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Ha! It is indeed a thing, a deadly thing even! No, not deadly perhaps, well not unless you are supping deadly nightshade or glugging arsenic (minus the old lace). I have a few teapots despite technically only having the need for one; sometimes they are in their prime such as these, other times they must be rescued, given a home where they are appreciated, such as this one –
any excuse to show off my porcelain I’m afraid. That one is cracked yet pours perfectly. A little gaudy for some tastes but I’m a fan of ancient gaudiness. Thank you for visiting and letting me know your knees have been weakened by such a fine array of teapots Kirizar.
Esme pouring her a cup of the finest green tea upon the Cloud
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Which reminds me, I postponed buying one of Alison’s pieces until January. Mike thinks I buy too many things and even though he knows not to say anything anymore, I still see the disapproval in his eyes.
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I understand entirely. I bought another piece for myself and two others as gifts and Alison included a surprise piece just for me in the order. I was chuffed to bits.
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Stylistically intriguing, to be sure. I do wonder if works of this type might be better suited to the jangled, wired freneticism of coffee than to the sedate refinement associated with tea. When I sit down to tea, I don’t expect to feel like I’m launching an invasion of Mordor. The feral office workers who need nuclear-level caffeination to persevere through the stygian boredom of endless meetings and reports probably need all the stimulation they can get.
We’ve all heard those expressions “such-and-such is like a fish without a bicycle”, but this may be the first time I’ve ever seen a fish with one.
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They certainly aren’t part of the serene nature that sits within a tea ceremony for sure . . . magic mushroom tea for these babies methinks.
This made me laugh a lot – ‘When I sit down to tea, I don’t expect to feel like I’m launching an invasion of Mordor.’ – falls about
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A spellbinding journey to fifteen planets existing in a thousand universes, each with unique, wonderful creatures who have adapted to their worlds in ways unimaginable to Earth dwellers — some living on orbs with coffee oceans, some on marbles with proper tea seas. Some glide around a cuppa, some propel themselves atop the land, some would be found in an ethereal cloud. Learn from each and fashion your own devices with fancied glee, enjoy the silliness and charm that may be found everywhere and everywhen imagined and imaginable.
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You should really be his manager Bill! Hahahahaha. Beautifully said, there are worlds in these yes, and worlds apart from the usual teapot collections of old. Some call for lips and shoe song tea, others brilliant white or the green grass of homebrew. I’ve been keen on ceramics and pot throwing – never breaks one mind – since I first fot my hands on some clay and a wheel way back in the mists of tea time. The wilder the imagination the better.
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A snowbird’s dream, Esme — an opportunity to escape fierce winters here to write ad copy there: Grafton in Panama City, FL. We shall start packing, just in case this event occurs, happens, or takes place. 🙂
They might ask you to return to that “clay and a wheel”. Your wild imagination would inspire the potterists and the ad-copy writhers.
And what are your shoe songs? Soleful, teaworthy, and sustaining!
🙂
https://www.etsy.com/people/Teaworthy?tab=shops
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Nancy Sinatra’s ‘These boots are made for walkin’ ‘ is my favourite shoe song Bill and you’re very kind regarding my imaginatory capabilities curtsies. At this very moment I am sipping peppermint tea as I feel as green as Kermit and hope to assuage the nausea. One of the perils of flying on a Cloud. It does help mind.
-Esme trying not to chuck up off the edge of the Cloud as it annoys folks below
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Western Evilization is fetid with the dark deeds of the European colonial-driven crime scenes left by white men who keep samin’ when they oughta be a’changin’. And the latest (and oldest) news find that they ain’t been right yet. Propounding such views clears many a room, and my blog allows me to clear rooms internationally now. Something to be proud of methinks. 🙂
Please keep getting as healthy as you can, as fast as you can. Leave the green face to Kermit. And there are fewer outside to annoy, no worries then. Chuck up and chuck out, then start a new teapot. 🙂
…You keep samin’ when you oughta be a’changin’
Now what’s right is right but you ain’t been right yet…
…And you keep thinkin’ that you’ll never get burnt (ha)
I just found me a brand new box of matches (yeah)…
Reminding me of an observation made famous in 1982:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Do1AyyrV4AErnRp.jpg
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Cracking quote Bill, one of my favourites too. I’m less green today, so no frogs in throat or anywhere else, just a mauve tinge (as the actor said to the Bishop).
Esme sending flowers to Bill from upon the Cloud
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“as the actor said to the Bishop” — an entendre I hadn’t known.
Filing under Ee (Esme entendre)
🙂
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Ha, I’m amazed it hasn’t appeared considerably sooner! Then again, these days the exploits of the clergy and actors aren’t always so funny. It’s a saying from when Esme was a dot, so yes, do file it away laughs.
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Oh yes Esme, seems you do smoke better POT than Tubularsock. And what a trip it takes you on.
The ONLY good Tubularsock sees for tea is to throw it into Boston Harbor!
Cheerio.
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Sends me to sleep usually, albeit giggling with a face full of jam tarts; however, this kind of pot could never send me to the Land of Nod. I thought you might be more coffee than tea, and the taller pots would do nicely for a dark brew. Nice to see you dearie.
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OH MY GOD! I love the gorilla with the pinky…and the evil cat. What delightful, delectable, potty pots!
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Not keen eh? Hahahahahaha. They are pretty impressive and I’d use them too, have words with him if they didn’t pour just right an’ all!
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Love these. Great imagination and superb execution. Thanks.
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Hello Carol, I’m very pleased you enjoyed them!
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