Cool Stuff: j.mendicino

Although I'm sure that I had seen it somewhere before, I first really registered Joanna Mendicino's lovely vases and other handmade wares -- as well as the lovely ceramicist herself -- at the San Francisco International Gift Fair this summer.

The Bay Area-based Mendicino's simple, organic forms, delicate cut-outs, and subtle glazes stood out among the mostly uninspiring tchotchkes on display at the fair, and I was drawn to her booth as though pulled by a giant, invisible magnet.

Some of my favorite pieces:

Talking Sparrow Bud Vases, $35 to $55

Pigeon Bud Vases, $45 and $60

Pebble Bud Vases, $48 to $68

Sea Kelp Bud Vases, $35 to $55

Speckled Egg Nesting Bowls, $80 for a set of three

Sparrows, $55 each

See more of j.mendicino's work right here.

You can purchase her ceramics from the j.mendicino online store or from these retailers. And if you're in the Bay Area, you can meet the ceramicist and see her wares in person during Berkeley Open Studios the weekends of November 24-25, December 1-2, 8-9, and 15-16.