Teapot with TIres

Teapot with Tires (Yixing Series) 1985 Stoneware; ht. 2.75, wd. 8, dp. 3.75 in. Artist signature Notkin 1985 incised on base Notkin is an American artist born in Chicago, Illinois. He earned a BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1970 studying under Ken Ferguson. In 1973 he received his MFA from the University of California, Davis where he studied under one of America's greatest ceramic sculptors, Robert Arneson. The shear detail of his "lonely" sidewalk teapots based on the Chinese Yixing Tradition are highly prized by collectors and have never lost their political power over the decades. The shear detail of these works is amazing right down to the treads of the tires which show their worn quality. The "tire" on the lid is loose and the element you pick up when handling the lid, another Yixing tradition used in an American concept.