This Japanese-style yunomi cup is part of a small collection of ceramics from Wei’s most recent wood-firing at the Shadbolt Centre of Arts in Burnaby, BC. For this special collection, Wei has created her own clay body with a custom blend of purple clay zisha from Yixing and local BC clay. Wei sourced the purple clay 紫砂 from the teapot master that she apprenticed under in Yixing 宜兴. The purple clay was aged for one year at Wei's studio. Wei throws each cup carefully by hand. The pieces are air-dried for 3 days until they are bone dry before trimming and then bisque firing. The cup was wood-fired for 3 days in the kiln, with temperatures maintained at 1400 degrees Celsius. It took 3 additional days for the wood-fired kiln to slowly drop in temperature, so each piece spent a total of 6 days in the kiln. The cup goes into the kiln without any glaze on the outside and emerges with its own unique color, texture and sheen from the atmosphere inside the kiln. The yunomi has a beautiful matte black metallic sheen with a purple hue, the result of the truly unique clay body with Yixing (宜兴) clay. The color is rich and has a nice textured feel in the hand. It will develop a wonderful patina over time with repeated use. Each tea cup is unique and one-of-one pieces.
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