With an interest in “creating pots with personality and functionality,” Illinois-based artist and potter Yoshiko Kozawa of Studio Giverny crafts clever and cute handmade animal vases. Ideal for petite plants and buds, Kozawa’s delightful creations add a touch of charm to any arrangement.
As Kozawa handcrafts each creature from clay, no two are alike. Her one-of-a-kind creations span a handful of adorable animals, including whales, giraffes, llamas, elephants, rabbits, and pigs, which come is a variety of colors and glazes. Given their small statures, the vessels are perfect for delicate air plants and small bunches of flowers, which elegantly appear to sprout from each animal’s back. In some cases, the blooms are even cleverly incorporated into the vase’s design—when placed inside the whale receptacle, for example, the flower stems look like water spouting from its blowhole. Similarly, when tucked into the llama planter, they take on the appearance of lush cargo packed onto its back.
Kozawa began experimenting with ceramics as a student in 2011. Since starting her love affair with the art form, she opened her Etsy shop, Studio Giverny, as an homage to the village where Claude Monet‘s iconic garden is located. “The name of my business, Studio Giverny, is inspired by Monet’s home and garden in Giverny, France,” she expresses on Etsy. “I visited Giverny in 2013 and marveled at how Monet had engineered the lily pond and flower beds that inspired his paintings. I started to imagine how I could create vessels that interacted and inspire others.” And her delightful animal vases were born!
See some of Kozawa’s lovely handmade animal vases below.
Studio Giverny: Etsy | Facebook | Instagram
h/t: [So Super Awesome]