Objects of Lust: Sarah Becker Ceramics

I spotted Sarah Becker's ceramic hearts last week while I was browsing in San Francisco's very own Cabinet of Curiosities, Valencia Streets' Paxton Gate, and was immediately drawn to them.

There's something about the delicate hearts enmeshed within a forest of thorny, foreboding protuberances that seems to simultaneously say, "Enter at Your Peril" and "Scarred But Still Beating." They're dangerous and vulnerable.

Of course, Becker also makes more straightforward, ready-to-hang hearts for the slightly less morbidly romantic among us. She'll create custom pieces as well.

When I looked up her website, I was equally intrigued by the ceramist's bird-and-antler sculptures, which strike a delicate balance between the wild and the refined.

In addition to Paxton Gate, you can find Becker's pieces at San Francisco's Flora Grubb Gardens and Habit. Prices for the hearts start at $225, while the antlers are $250 and up.

Check out more of Becker's ceramic art right here.