Laura Straßer is a Rare Breed of Ceramic Artist

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animals, Art, Ceramic Art and Pottery, Ceramics, craft, food, Germany, Homewares, Ilmgold, Laura Straßer, Olivier Dupon, Pratt Institute, Product Design, Quirky, Shopping, Tableware, The New Artisans

(Image sourced from here)

I am loving the work of ILMGOLD product designer, Laura Straßer. Her latest range of quirky ‘Rare Species’ bowls feature the most gorgeous and whimsical animal creations…

'Zebear'
(Image sourced from here)

'Flyfish'
(Image sourced from here)

'Fennelduck'
(Image sourced from here)

'Artichedgehog'
(Image sourced from here)

And, if the quirky wee bowls weren’t enough to set your heart aflutter, you can also get matching lids-come-sideplates in the same delicate-yet-dishwasher-safe porcelain…

Ilmgold Rare Species 'Artichedgehog' with 'No Sharing' lid
(Image sourced from here)

Laura Straßer features in the fabulous Olivier Dupon book, ‘The New Artisans‘ (page 134, if you’re wondering).

Born in Frankfurt am Main, and now based in Weimar, she studied at the Pratt Institute in New York where she became hooked on porcelain design.

She has a beautiful philosophy in that she “hopes to create items for porcelain lovers that offer the possibility of offering  associating (hi)stories with them and letting them become favourite items able to be kept for a lifetime.” I reckon’ she has achieved this with her ‘Rare Species’ range. They are heirloom pieces, to me. What do you think?

Ilmgold ships internationally. Although their website is in German, for all of us anglophiles, there is a lovely link to an english order form here.

Blog Stalking ‘Were I So Besotted’…

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Blog, Blog Stalk, Blogging, Brooklyn, craft, creativity, culture, Design, Embroidery, Fibre Artist, Iviva Olenick, London, Photos, Pratt Institute, Social Commentary, Stitching

When I lived in London, I remember walking home from work in the wintertime after the sun had gone down.  I loved it. It was dark enough for lights to be turned on, but not late enough for curtains to be drawn.  I could see into the windows of houses as I walked past. Those small snap-shots into other people’s living rooms were fascinating to me.  It was especially wonderful at Christmas-time…

I suspect many of us in the online world take the plunge to enter the blogging fray after a period of blog stalking*.  I will admit to my share of this.  It’s a little like looking into other people’s living room windows.  You get a wee taste of their world.

One of my earliest blog finds was Were I So Besotted.  Brooklyn-based Iviva Olenick is a hugely talented fibre artist who creates the most beautiful and original narrative embroidery.  She calls her small-scale, usually autobiographical pieces her ‘hand-stitched blog’.  Her work is both charming and honest.  I love it.

'Williamsburg Hug'

'How We Met Sunset Park'

'Fulton Park'

'Cowboy' (for friend, Sarah's birthday)

'Sweetie'

Iviva is active within the embroidery community.  She runs workshops at venues like the Textile Arts Center and teaching stitching at the Pratt Institute.

If you have some time, go and check out her blog, Were I So Besotted.  It’s gorgeous.

(All images sourced from Iviva Olenick’s blog here)

*blog stalk: to religiously check a particular blog of interest for any new content