A one-off hand made piece. Red clay decorated with sgraffito technique and glazes. Zogan inlay decoration on the reverse.

(Please note this is an artist-made piece and not suitable for food use)

STORY | WE ARE ALL NATURE

Miki Oka is a celebrated ceramicist based in Hiroshima, Japan. With her husband Toyokazu Ono (a textile artist who works with a traditional Japanese stencil dyeing technique called katazome), they run a small gallery and studio called Suzume-gusa. Located in a former public bathhouse, which was owned by Miki’s grandmother, the old building is in process of being renovated and sits within the beautiful coastal town of Kawajiri-cho, an area renowned for its traditional craft production.

“My work is inspired by everyday life, nature, animals, and the small moments and encounters that stay in my mind. I have always been drawn to animals and the feeling that each one has its own personality and story. I often imagine them as if they have their own character, emotions, and lives.”

“I am also deeply inspired by the people I meet and the landscapes I encounter when travelling, both in Japan and abroad. I find inspiration in old paintings and objects left behind by Indigenous peoples, as well as in children’s drawings and the imperfect beauty of handmade things.”

For the Plates Please collection Miki Oka has created a series of large-scale platters full of expressive animals in rich honey tones and bold colourful glazes. They are part of the ancient, and much celebrated, traditions of Japanese art and culture which animate animals and the natural world, blurring the boundaries between humans and nature.

“I hope that my work might make someone smile or encourage them to notice the small and beautiful things that surround them. I hope that the animals and plants on the platters become little companions to the people who live with them.”

(Above and below: Miki paints the back of each plate as a complimentary scene or ‘friend’ for the front. A secret treasure on the back, or, if stood on a window sill, both sides could be seen from different viewpoints.)

“My process begins by shaping the clay entirely by hand, stretching and shaping the clay by gently tapping it with my hands to form each plate. I value allowing the shape of each piece to develop naturally rather than making every plate exactly the same.”

“After forming the clay, I decorate the surface with slip and pigments. Following the first firing, I add further details and expressions using ceramic paints, crayons, and glazes. I tend to work quite intuitively, allowing the character and mood of each animal, as well as the shape of the plate itself, to guide the composition.”

“My husband’s dyeing studio and our gallery are also part of the same creative space, so there are always different materials, colours, textiles, clay, and ideas coming together around us.”