The Beautiful Vases, Dogs and Cats of Gary Steinborn and his Venice Clay Studio.

The Venice Clay Studio features the talented ceramic crafts of Los Angeles born artist Gary Steinborn. Inspired by the work of arts and craft factories such as Grueby, Pewabic, Teco and Rookwood, his sculpted animals and artful vases are sensual, modern and appealing. The figurines and tabletop objects combine a zen sensibility with arts and crafts design. Very reasonably priced, any of these pieces make wonderful gifts for others or yourself.




Artfully sculpted Buddha Cats, Buddha Dogs, Polar Bears, Elephants, Pet Urns, Dog and Puppies, Cat and Kittens, incense burners and more come in various sizes and your choice of 24 matte glazes. The sizes range from little puppies and kittens a few inches high up to sculptures and vases thirteen inches tall.

The Dogs:





Buddha Dogs:

The Cats:





Buddha Cats and Incense Burners:



Polar Bears and Elephants:


Dog and Cat Vases:


Dog and Cat Urns:



The Bella Vase ceramics are colorful vases with elegant silhouettes that would be a stunning complement to any interior. Venice Clay studio has several different styles and sizes, all of which are beautiful and some of which are shown below.

Vases:







The Glazes:
All of the artwork is available in 24 matt glaze colors. In addition, the figurines are available in celadon and white crackle finishes:



About the artist:


About Gary Steinborn, in his own words:
"I had my first studio over thirty years ago on the front porch of my family's California bungalow home. Working there on a homemade potter's wheel and sculpting clay by hand when I was a teenager started the journey that led me to a Masters Degree in Art from UCLA.



Growing up in Los Angeles I was exposed multi-cultural influences and all kinds of art. In my work I try to synthesize influences ranging from the heritage of the American crafts movement to funk and pop art. All the pieces I offer at Venice Clay are my original designs. My goal is to produce ceramics that is immaculately crafted, intelligent and humorous - suitable for anything from a modernist to craftsman style homes or personal Zen retreat. "

The Venice Clay Web Site features Venice Clay figurines and Bella Vase ceramics and allows collectors and distributors of Gary Steinborn's artwork to view the entire collection of items and colors available for purchase.

All the figurines and artworks you see in this post are copyrighted designs by Gary and Venice Clay Studio an the images have been used with their permission.

Canvas Textured Ceramic Vases & Pots by Kiki van Eijk

Kiki van Eijk's Canvas Series is a collection of ceramic pots and vases in various sizes that look as though they are made of textiles. The process of creation is that the pots and vases are first made in textile and embellished with details then cast in ceramic.

Small vases:

Medium vases:

Large vases:

Small pots:

Medium pots:

Large pots:

XL pots:

Produced and Distributed by Serax Maison d´etre

You can see more of Kiki van Eijk's work here.

Wedding Dishes They Didn't Register For But Won't Return

Okay, so your friends have already chosen their china pattern. And it's gorgeous. But you really wanted to get them something unique and original in addition. I say 'in addition' because buying a couple a version of a product for which they registered, but not the actual one they chose, is just plain rude.

Unfortunately, so many personalizable or customizable wedding gifts are either too cutesy (like those god-awful cartoon like drawings of faces and swirly script on pottery) or too corporate (gold embossed monogrammed leather stuff). So, what can you get them that is special and won't end up on ebay or in the back of a closet?

Below are three romantic, original wedding dishes/platters that newlyweds will be sure to covet.

1. Jessica Rust designs makes several different sets of platters and dishes for weddings and anniversaries. She has many worth looking at but my favorite is the Birch collections. The Birch collection features the couple's initials carved into a birch tree drawn in a sweet tasteful style. Harkening back to childhood crushes but retaining a sophisticated style:






Also available in special gold glazed edition:

Above: Personalized platters, mugs, dishes and plates from Jessica Rust.

Other great pieces of Jessica's available for customization:



The Birch collection shown above, Lovebirds collection, Family Tree and more wonderful collections to choose from.
Buy them all here.

2. The "You Know It Makes Sense" Dishes Set by Bailey Doesn't Bark. A romantic reminder that sometimes you just 'know'.





Buy it here

3. And lastly, the funky and hip custom wedding platter with inscription on the back, by cul de sac design:





buy it here.

Looking for other romantic gifts and ideas? Then check out my 'seriously good valentine's gifts' list