Three Cups of Tea ceramics are made by Elise Johnston and Karen Taylor O’Neill.

Each piece of Three Cups of Tea ceramics is unique & durable. It is handmade in our Ōtepoti Dunedin studio. The process begins by designing and making the original shapes in clay. A plaster mold is then taken from these pieces. Each item is slip cast using the plaster molds to replicate the originals and clay pieces are joined, altered and smoothed. The work is fired two or three times during the glazing and decorating stages.

The designs are drawn from personal experiences and they reflect our love of the colours and creatures found in the natural environments surrounding Ōtepoti Dunedin. The birds and tree images are hand drawn originals, which are then digitized and printed onto ceramic decals. These are then applied and fired onto the pieces becoming durable and dishwasher proof.

The name Three Cups of Tea refers to a proverb of the Himalayan Balti people that says “The first time you share tea you are a stranger. The second time you take tea you are an honoured guest & the third time you share a cup of tea you become family.” We feel this expresses our kaupapa values about the importance of taking time to share cups of tea, and how relationships develop and grow over these shared experiences. Our designs are made with the rituals of tea, friends & whānau always in mind.