Susan Thayer

Susan Thayer (born 17 October 1957 in New York, NY) is an American ceramicist known for her intricately painted porcelain teapots. Inspired by her grandmother's china as well as by historical European ceramics, she often combines traditional elements with other more contemporary designs in her work. In order to maintain a high level of detail, Thayer must often fire each individual piece between ten and twenty times. This discontent led her to begin creating one-of-a-kind pieces, drawing on originality rather than the uniformity of mass production. These pieces are often inspired by traditions such as the ceremony and grandeur of a dinner table in all of its propriety: set with dishes on placemats and with multiple spoons, forks, and knives designated for different courses. In conjunction with this classic imagery, her distinctive teapots are also inspired by change, which she perceives as "both desirable and inevitable." She does not take on commissions, preferring to follow her own ideas. the Museum of Contemporary Craft, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, The Racine Art Museum, and in the Newark Museum. Her work was shown in 2003 in "The Artful Teapot" at the George R. Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art and the Long Beach Museum of Art,