“pompositea” teapot

When it came time to find a title for this piece, I at first was considering ‘pointea’, but wasn’t too keen on that, so I sat down and started going through the dictionary. Knowing somehow that the title should begin with a ‘P’, I went straight to the ‘P’ section. This is when I came across ‘pomposity’.

After reading the definition, I felt it would be a good and appropriate title — with the chest sticking out and the tail sitting high and flared out — it just fit the appearance of the piece exactly. As for the etching, I wanted to have feathers on the body, so I started looking through my book on birds for patterns. I wanted to cover the surface with as many feathers as possible, making it decorative.

—Michael Massie

Loaned to Faces and Voices of the Inuit Market Exhibition, June 19 — September 25, 2011, at the Museum of Anthropology UBC, Vancouver BC. Documented and loaned to Changing Hands: Art Without Reservation 3 Exhibition, May 26 — October 21, 2012, at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, USA