{"product_id":"wings-of-the-wild-handmade-plate","title":"Wings of the Wild (Handmade Plate)","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"page\" title=\"Page 6\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"section\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\" class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"column\"\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSize: 33 x 26 x 3.5cm (13 x 10.2 x 1.4 inches)\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: left;\" class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eA one-off hand made piece. White stoneware decorated with glaze and oxides. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e(Please note this is an artist-made piece and not suitable for food use)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch1 class=\"layoutArea\"\u003e\n\u003cspan\u003eSTORY | WE ARE ALL NATURE\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/Screenshot_2026-08-10_at_1.33.34_pm_1024x1024.png?v=1786365526\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003eMiki 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/2_2fbf980d-5133-40a2-a990-eb5a94a38a53_1024x1024.jpg?v=1786439300\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e“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.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/Screenshot_2026-08-10_at_1.33.39_pm_1024x1024.png?v=1786365552\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e“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.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/Screenshot_2026-08-10_at_1.33.43_pm_1024x1024.png?v=1786365583\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFor 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/Screenshot_2026-08-10_at_1.33.51_pm_1024x1024.png?v=1786365606\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e“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.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/Screenshot_2026-08-10_at_1.33.58_pm_1024x1024.png?v=1786365628\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e(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.)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/Screenshot_2026-08-10_at_1.34.08_pm_1024x1024.png?v=1786365654\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e“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.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/Screenshot_2026-08-10_at_1.34.13_pm_1024x1024.png?v=1786365675\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e“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.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/Screenshot_2026-08-10_at_1.34.20_pm_1024x1024.png?v=1786365699\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e“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.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/Screenshot_2026-08-10_at_1.34.29_pm_1024x1024.png?v=1786365721\" style=\"float: none;\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"MIKI OKA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56724909588866,"sku":"(SR)MO10","price":625.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1706\/1591\/files\/WingsoftheWildCutout1copy.jpg?v=1782831645","url":"https:\/\/theshopfloorproject.com\/products\/wings-of-the-wild-handmade-plate","provider":"THE SHOP FLOOR PROJECT ltd","version":"1.0","type":"link"}