Susan Thayer is known for highly narrative one-of-a-kind teapots which she began to make in 1990, although she began her career as a production potter. Each piece begins with a cast body to which the cast spout, handle, and lid are added. Thayer typically develops the finial on the lid to further the narrative of the piece. Often butterflies too delicate to be fired with the main piece are added post firing. The surfaces are covered with china painted (the decoration of glazed and fired pieces using oil-based glazes) images that relate stories from the past with contemporary ideas.
The nature of the china painting process and the complexity of the imagery used by Thayer often require a single piece to be fired more than 10 times.
Other works by Thayer
Thayer in other collections
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Last updated: April 22, 2026
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