Larry Downing
North Carolina
Ceramic
Functional
11.25"w x 4.25"l x 9"h
About the Teapot
This architecture-inspired teapot grew out of an interest in mid-century homes. We looked at examples before a recent trip and toured neighborhoods full of mid-century houses. The deep eaves, patterned breeze walls and textures all found voice in this teapot.
Artist Statement
Clay has always fascinated and challenged me. It is such a basic material. Clay is both free and temperamental, formless, yet loaded with potential. It holds the stories of our ancestors but is fragile and easily destroyed. The scrap piles and shards speak through the generations. I find clay a great teaching material, full of life lessons, self-correcting in its limitations and possibilities.
About Larry
Born in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Downing graduated from UNC–Chapel Hill with a BFA in sculpture and additional coursework in English and psychology. He has taught art for more than thirty years in Durham, including at Durham School of the Arts and the Durham Arts Council. His connection to clay began in childhood, making clay apples with stick stems in a neighbor’s stream.
*Teapots that are purchased will remain on display in the gallery for the duration of the exhibition, through September 14, 2026.
After the show closes, teapots will be carefully packed and shipped by September 28, or they may be picked up at the gallery.
About National Teapot Show XIII
Cedar Creek Gallery's National Teapot Show XIII is an invitational event featuring teapots crafted by artists from across North America. More than 200 hand-crafted teapots created using a broad range of materials - including pottery, glass, wood, fiber, and mixed media.
Teapots in the show come in all shapes and sizes! Some are functional - just right for your daily cup of tea, while others are created as sculptural teapots.
Every teapot in the show is available for purchase.
All teapots will remain on display (including those already sold), both online and in the gallery, through September 14, 2026.