A fox curls up in the bowl of a spoon; a human face smiles mischievously from the handle. A ghost peers coyly around the stem of a martini glass. Or—our favorite—a long-stemmed amanita bends to form the handle of the happiest mug of soup you’ve ever held. Welcome to the ultra-whimsical, ultra-colorful, functionally creative world of ceramics artist Victoria Baba.
Born in Belarus and now living in Muğla, Turkey, she hand-builds and -glazes all manner of must-haves—mugs, spoons, wall hooks, earrings, cocktail glasses, and other forms of needful home décor the rest of us haven’t dreamed of yet.
She isn’t interested in standardized, completely utilitarian things, she says. She wants to create a whimsical, cozy world in which ordinary utensils bring joy—a world where “coffee is not just coffee; where a teaspoon is not only a spoon but also something from a fairy tale; where classic hooks become bunnies, birds, or mushrooms growing from the wall; and where classic mug handles become mushrooms, cows, or rabbits.”
She first fell in love with ceramics at Brest State Technical University, when, as an engineering student, she attended a workshop and was dazzled by the possibilities of clay, especially with colorful glazes. “I call myself a glaze maniac,” she says. “I want to buy and use all the glazes in world! I also like to concoct my own colors from powdered pigments and basic glazes.” Later, as a working engineer, she began a parallel life, taking private lessons from professional artists and learning everything she could about handling clay, making plaster molds, and firing in kilns. Eventually she started her own one-woman business, Murava Ceramics, which became so popular it now supports her full-time.
Her roots in Belarus are a clear source of inspiration. “It’s a country of forests and lakes,” she says. “And its aesthetic comes from the forest: animals, birds, mushrooms, berries.” She spent every childhood summer in her grandmother’s village house. They
harvested blueberries, wild strawberries, and, of course, mushrooms. “I remember going deep into a wild forest, searching for berries and mushrooms. Grandma and I would call back and forth so as not to get lost. I’ll never forget those times.”
For her, the mushroom is a symbol of deep, wild forest, not to mention her most popular creation. “The forest will show you its deepest treasures,” she says, referring to those hidden clusters, “but only if it wants you to see them.”
Find Murava Ceramics at muravaceramics.etsy.com and on Instagram @murava_ceramics.
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