Expert craftsman makes tea pots by hand from Taiwan clay
Expert craftsman makes tea pots by hand from Taiwan clay
2022-11-07
Taiwan’s tea culture is world famous, but have you ever seen a teapot made by hand? Today we have an interview with Lin Sung-pen, master teapot maker. He uses nothing but Taiwan clay and refuses glazes, using only the traditional techniques of Taiwan’s craft tradition. Each pot takes most of a week to complete.
A cross section of a log, with many rings showing in the trunk. But this is not real wood – it’s a teapot made of clay.
The realistic aged look of the pots delights collectors. This pot has a metal handle and top made with a screw, and won a top prize at the Taoyuan Fine Arts Exhibition. These pots are all the work of clay master Lin Sung-pen.
A lump of unassuming Taiwan clay becomes an incredible tree trunk teapot in Lin’s talented hands. The veins on the bark are utterly convincing. Lin has been perfecting his art his whole life. He grew up in a family in Yingge that produces tea ware, and began working with clay as a teenager.
Lin Sung-pen
Teapot maker
Times are changing. Because mass-production orders have already gone over to China, and are gradually contracting, our factory has had to change bit by bit. It’s not hard at all to learn clay techniques, but you need to be able to stick to it.
A machine can make hundreds or even thousands of teapots a day. But one of these handmade pots takes five or six days on average. It wasn’t always what his family hoped for, but the adolescent Lin was determined to work on his sculpting. He would work in the factory in the day and spend the nights playing with clay. That laid the foundation for the mastery he has today.
Lin Sung-pen
Teapot maker
The materials I use are Taiwanese, so I would say proudly that these are Taiwanese products. And then I add my own techniques, to tell some creative stories with the work. I think this is the real, authentic Taiwanese product.
A handmade piece like this has a unique story behind it. Lin insists on only using Taiwan clay and avoiding any glaze. That makes his work not just local but also deeply environmentally friendly.
創意茶壺迷倒眾收藏家 "手捏陶壺"打出一片天
2022-11-07
台灣人愛喝茶，但台灣生產的茶壺越來越少，尤其是大部分機器都被賣到中國去，一位在鶯歌生長的陶藝職人林松本，就用"手捏陶壺"闖出一片天，超過40年資歷的他，擅長仿生，用陶土做成木頭茶壺、生鏽手沖壺，栩栩如生迷倒不少外國收藏家。
樹木橫切面，上頭佈滿一圈又一圈年輪，遠看像極了木頭，但其實這是陶土做成的茶壺。
手沖壺生鏽感逼真，迷倒不少收藏家；仿真度更高的，還有這件作品，金屬質感壺把、螺絲，拿下桃源美展工藝類第一名。這些茶壺都是職人林松本，一一捏出來的。
平凡無奇的台灣陶，經過林松本巧手，搖身變成"樹幹茶杯"，表面紋路、被鋸斷的樹枝，每個細節都講究，內斂的功夫從小就開始培養，林松本出身鶯歌茶具工廠，十幾歲就當陶藝老師。
[[手捏壺職人 林松本]]
“時代的演進，因為量產訂單已經跑到中國去，甚至已經慢慢萎縮了，所以慢慢家裡(工廠)也在轉變。手捏的技法其實入門檻很低，可是相對你必須堅持得住。”
機器生產單日可以產出幾百、幾千只茶壺，但一只"手捏壺"，平均要花上五、六天。就算家人不看好，十幾歲的林松本為了圓夢，白天做鐵工賺錢，晚上熬夜跟陶土培養感情，奠定他如今的好手藝。
[[手捏壺職人 林松本]]
“我從原料就是台灣的東西，所以我會很大聲的說，這東西就是台灣的產物。再賦予我手捏技法，去闡述一些創作故事在裡面，我覺得這才是真正、道道地地台灣的東西。”
手捏技法更能觸動創作靈感，林松本的手捏壺堅持用"台灣陶"、不上釉料，環保、可塑性高，更重要的是他要將台灣手捏壺技藝繼續傳承下去。
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