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Raelene's Hand-Painted Teapot
Raelene's Hand-Painted Teapot
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Raelene's Hand-Painted Teapot
The Four O’Clock Pot · Gulgong, New South Wales · Since 1995
Thrown and Painted by Hand in an Old Gold-Rush Town
Final firing · No restockRaelene Pickering, 71. She painted roses onto dinner plates at a pottery works over in Mudgee for 28 years, and in 1995 she put a potter’s wheel and a kiln in her shed. Every teapot on this page was thrown on that wheel, painted with her own brush and fired under a clear glaze. Arthritis in her wrists means these are the last she will ever make.
“One pot, two cups. Nobody gets up till it’s empty.”
“A mug is for drinking. A pot is for staying. I made the first one so my husband and I would sit down together every afternoon – and for twenty-six years, we did.”
Raelene Pickering · Gulgong, New South Wales
What You Receive
Everything That Arrives at Your Door
One finished teapot, wrapped by hand in tissue and packed tight so it arrives the way it left the studio.
The Pot
1 Hand-Painted Teapot
Cream body with pink and golden roses, red blooms down the spout and a little songbird on the side. About four cups.
The Lid
Matching Painted Lid
Painted to match the pot and finished with a gold-tone knob that sits comfortably between two fingers.
The Handle
Tall Gold-Tone Arch
A high arched handle that rides above the lid, clear of the steam, for lifting and passing the pot across the table.
Guarantee
90-Day Returns
If it doesn’t earn its place on your table, send it back within 90 days for a full refund.
Why This Teapot
Six Things a Shop-Bought Teapot Doesn’t Have
Every detail comes out of 31 years at the wheel and 28 years with a brush in her hand at the plant.
01 · The Throw
Shaped on Raelene’s Own Wheel
No moulds and no casting line. Each body is thrown, trimmed and finished one at a time, so every pot carries the small marks of the hands that made it.
02 · The Roses
Painted by Hand, Petal by Petal
The big pink roses, the golden blooms, the bluebird on the side – all put on with a fine brush. No two pots come out exactly alike.
03 · The Glaze
Sealed Under Clear Glass
The painting goes onto bare clay and is fired beneath a layer of clear glaze. It can’t peel or scratch off, and it won’t fade in the washing-up.
04 · The Walls
Thick Enough to Hold the Heat
Thrown heavier than a factory pot, so the second and third cups pour nearly as hot as the first. Made for long conversations.
05 · The Spout
Pulled by Hand, Cut Sharp
The spout is pulled by hand and cut at a steep angle, so it pours clean and stops clean – no tea running down the side.
06 · The Handle
High Above the Steam
The gold-tone arch stands tall over the lid, so your hand stays out of the steam when you pour or pass the pot along.
Side by Side
Raelene’s Teapot vs. a Printed Shop Teapot
They can look alike in a photo. Here is what is different once it is on your table.
| Raelene’s Teapot | Printed Shop Teapot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pattern | Painted by hand, fired under clear glaze | Printed transfer on the surface |
| After a year | Roses look like the day they were painted | Pattern tends to fade, scratch and chip |
| Body | Thrown on the wheel, one at a time | Cast in a mould by the thousand |
| Second cup | Thick walls keep it hot | Thin walls cool fast |
| Pour | Hand-pulled spout, no dribble | Often drips down the side |
| Every piece | Its own brushstrokes, no two alike | Identical to the next one on the shelf |
Your First Pot
The Four O’Clock Pot in Three Steps
The way Raelene has set her table every afternoon since 1995.
Warm It
Swirl a little hot water in the pot and pour it out. A warm pot keeps the tea hot longer.
Fill It
Add your tea, pour in freshly boiled water from the kettle and let it steep while you set out two cups.
Share It
Call someone over. Pour, sit down and follow Barry’s one rule: nobody gets up till it’s empty.
A Potter’s Note
“You can tell a hand-thrown pot the second you lift it – the weight sits differently, and the walls have a little life in them. Then look at the painting under the light. On a printed pot the pattern sits on top of the surface. On Raelene’s, the colour is down inside the glaze. That is the difference between a pot that looks pretty in the box and one that still looks pretty in twenty years.”
Margo Brennock – Retired ceramics teacher · 34 years teaching wheel-throwing · Mudgee, New South Wales
Who It’s Made For
For Everyone Who Still Likes to Sit a While
Quality Promise
Five Things Every Teapot Has to Pass
The same five checks Raelene has made at her bench before a single pot goes into a box.
- ✓Thrown by RaeleneEvery body came off her wheel in Gulgong. No moulds, no outside workshop.
- ✓Lid Sits TrueEach lid is matched and tried on its own pot so it sits flat and doesn’t wobble.
- ✓Painting Fully SealedEvery rose sits beneath the clear glaze, with no bare patches or rough spots.
- ✓Clean Pour TestedEvery pot is filled with water and poured before packing. If the spout dribbles, it stays home.
- ✓Final Firing, No RestockThese are the last pots from Raelene’s kiln. When they are gone, there will be no more.
90-Day Money-Back Guarantee
If the teapot isn’t what you hoped for when it arrives, send it back within 90 days for a full refund. No questions, no hassle.
Dispatched within 1–2 business days · Wrapped and packed by hand
Made by Hand in Gulgong
A Note From the Studio
Every teapot here was thrown on the wheel in my shed, painted at the bench by the window and fired in the same kiln I have used since the nineties. Because each one is made and painted by hand, the roses and the little bird sit a bit differently on every pot. That is not a flaw. That is how you know a person made it.
On size: each pot stands about 17 cm tall, measures about 13 cm across the base and 10 cm across the top, and holds about four cups.
On care: rinse with warm water and a soft cloth after use, and let it dry with the lid off. Avoid scouring pads. Handle with care – it is still a hand-thrown pot.
Raelene
The Details
Product Specifications
| What it is | Hand-thrown, hand-painted teapot with matching lid |
| Made by | Raelene Pickering, Gulgong, New South Wales |
| Decoration | Pink and golden roses, red blooms and a songbird, painted by hand under a clear glaze |
| Height | Approx. 17 cm including handle |
| Base | Approx. 13 cm across |
| Top | Approx. 10 cm across |
| Capacity | About 4 cups |
| Handle & knob | Tall gold-tone arched handle, gold-tone lid knob |
| In the box | 1 teapot with lid, wrapped by hand |
| Availability | Final firing, no restock |
| Guarantee | 90-day money-back guarantee |
The Final Series
The Final Series
A note from the shed in Gulgong:
Raelene Pickering threw her first teapot in 1995 as an anniversary present for her husband Barry. Every arvo at four he put it on the kitchen table: one pot, two cups, and nobody gets up till it’s empty. For 31 years she has thrown and painted her teapots by hand in the iron shed behind her house. Arthritis in her wrists means she can no longer centre the clay on the wheel. The 283 teapots from her final firing are the last. Raelene fires the kiln for the last time on 30 November. Whatever is left after that ships from her grandkids Kiara and Brodie until the shelf is empty. There is no restock and no second run.
Why there is no second batch
Why there is no second batch
Some things are made by one pair of hands, for decades, and then never again.
The Final Series is the last work of craftspeople who are putting down their tools. No factory, no successor, no second batch. Just the final pieces from their workshops, each one shaped by a lifetime of getting it right.
When they're gone, they're gone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at support@backroad-goods.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm (ET) — whether it’s about your order, a gift, or just to say hello.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 90-day money-back guarantee. Put it on your table, make a pot, and if it simply isn’t right for you, email support@backroad-goods.com within 90 days for a full refund. No questions asked.