Nobue Ibaraki

Sano City, Japan –  New Collection available in-store only

Inspired by the design and traditions of ancient ceramics, artist Nobue Ibaraki blends concepts both old and new. With a background in fashion design, Nobue went on to study ceramic design at Tajimi Pottery Design and Technical Center. Today, Nobue forms her clay pots, pitchers and vases from her workshop in Sano City, Japan.

The imperfect, artifact-like style of her work stems from a preference to abandon the potter’s wheel and instead shape her clay completely by hand. Working in a palette of earthy, subdued tones —white, dark blue, pale blue or pale green—and sometimes highlighted with washes of brown, Nobue’s ceramics are unique in appearance. Her exquisite, opaque finishes are the result of the alchemy that occurs during firing, achieved through the chemical reaction of natural glazes containing cobalt or copper with the iron rich clay sourced from Tajimi, near Kyushu volcano.