Tisdale’s work is rich with references to the cultural, social, political, and religious experiences of growing up in Mississippi. The work draws upon both the beauty and the ugliness of this region. Tisdale said that the “wood” and “strapping” in his clay trompe l’oeil Teapot are references to his southern upbringing, specifically the religious component, the wood being a reference to the earth — ‘from the earth we came and to the earth we shall return’. The strapping is a symbol of being tied to the influences of our past.