Recently, while compiling Gardenista’s Mother’s Day gift guide, I came across Rebekah Miles’ hand-painted pottery and knew that I had found something unusual. Rebekah is a fifth-generation Californian, currently living in Carpinteria, just south of Santa Barbara. Her ceramics, emblazoned with natural imagery (whimsical cacti, colorful fishes, or horses), are informed by her heritage: “I grew up in a rural lifestyle surrounded by nature. I’d say I’ve most closely followed in my grandmother’s footsteps as a painter. She created botanical pictures with gouache and watercolors,” she tells us.
“I have been drawn to painting since I was a kid, seeing my grandma’s work and my great great aunts’ paintings, too,” says Rebekah, who went on to major in art in college and focus on painting in graduate school. She prefers to paint on ceramics instead of on canvas: “I like making functional art objects,” she explains.
And tastemakers want to display them. Her work is currently sold at Nickey Kehoe in Los Angeles and John Derian in New York City; she also takes special orders.
Below, a peek at some of her disarmingly charming pieces:
Photography courtesy of Rebekah Miles.
For more ceramics inspiration, see:
- A New Handmade Lighting Line from Portland, OR, Studio Notary Ceramics
- New Colorful Dinnerware from Alice Waters + Heath Ceramics, All for a Good Cause
- Shopper’s Diary: East Fork Pottery in Asheville, NC
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