Teapot - "Wadsworth Tower" c. 1936

This is a black and white photograph of a teapot by Helmut Hiatt. It looks like it was probably made in a studio. The teapot's surface looks very decorated, there’s so much texture and pattern. It must have taken the artist a long time to build up all those layers and details. I can imagine Hiatt carefully applying each mark, responding to the emerging form, and allowing the material to guide him. Looking closely, I see tiny ships and buildings; it’s like a whole world contained in the teapot, a little micro-cosmos of stories and associations. The handle is gracefully curved. Hiatt's choice of subject matter is unusual, I would love to know what they were thinking, what were they trying to say? Either way, it feels deeply personal and expressive, a conversation between the artist and the world.