There are some landscapes that stick with you. For me, it was a week spent living inside a paper birch grove in Fairbanks, Alaska. We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb tucked so deep into the trees that the white bark was the first thing I saw every morning and the last thing I saw at twilight. It was the perfect immersion into a woodland aesthetic that I knew I had to bring back to my ceramic studio.
I found myself mesmerized by the quiet of that interior forest. The trees aren't just white; they are a shifting canvas of peeling textures and deep "eyes." My Birch Grove Collection is a series of wheel-thrown stoneware tumblers designed to translate that tactile serenity into artisan drinkware you can hold in your hands.
The Method & The Magic: My Sgraffito Process
To capture that specific Alaskan light, I developed a multi-step process for these nature-inspired ceramics:
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Layering the Bark: I apply several layers of white engobe to a speckled clay body to create a crisp, solid base.
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The Sgraffito Technique: I hand-carve through the layers to create the outlines and the characteristic "eyes" I saw outside our window every day.
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Nature-Inspired Colors: I brush on permanent underglazes inspired by the North—like the vibrant Aurora Current, the dusty Fireweed Mauve, and the Sun-Drenched Canopy.
Functional Art for Your Home
Whether it’s your first cup of morning coffee or an evening tea, these are functional stoneware pieces made to be used. They are durable, microwave-safe, and conveniently stackable tumblers—designed to look like a small forest of birch tree art on your kitchen shelf.
While this specific set is heading to a local market on April 3rd, they represent a blueprint for how I bring my favorite travel memories back to life through clay.
Have you ever stayed somewhere that changed the way you look at the world? Let me know in the comments!
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