TWELVE PLANES

Illustrated is a yunomi teacup that a collector and friend sent to me recently as a gift. Knowing my interest in the work of jeff Oestriech he thought it would find a good home here though he is insistent that I use it for any possible beverage (or M&Ms in a pinch). I was hesitant to use it and almost got there on the first night of its arrival but it went unused until a couple of days later when I went all in and poured a small portion of bourbon into the cup, I was all in now and I finally broke it in. I am not sure if the honey bourbon tasted any better in this cup but the experience was a bit better using a hand made pot and a gift at that.      

As mentioned, this was made by Jeff Oestriech some long while back and though the surface clearly shows some influence in the MacKenzie monotone, the pot is clearly something new. Gently squared, each side has three casual faceted cuts creating a total of twelve planes which though no longer round make for a comfortable grip and lots of lip to imbibe from. Though the exterior profile of the foot remains round, the cuts create a distinctly complimentary addition as a four-footed pedestal that match up quite well with the soft geometry of the yunomi overall. Though I was reticent to use this yunomi, I am glad I have broken it in as nothing beats using a friendly pot, gifted from a friend and made by a potter who thinks a bit outside the box but keeps a watchful eye on function just as it should be.