Tiny Bowls for Tiny Things by Kate Bingaman-Burt
Bobby Pins ($48) | Fingernails ($48)
Collect this edition
This new release goes out to all the ceramic lovers, the art object collectors, the expert-level holiday gifters building their arsenals in advance, and the design-oriented oddballs (hello, hey, hi … that’s us). OG 20x200 artist Kate Bingaman-Burt is back with an Artist Made edition that’s mixing things up. Introducing the irreverently titled Tiny Bowls for Tiny Things. These small ceramic bowls come in two cool, quirky designs: Bobby Pins and Fingernails. Each piece is handmade in Bingaman-Burt’s Portland, Oregon studio, which means they’re all actually one-of-a-kind, and—bonus!—every bowl will arrive in the company of a wee limited-edition risograph print, just ‘cuz.
Tiny Bowls for Tiny Things can hold whatever you’d like, of course. No need to fill them with hair pins and fingernail clippings as prescribed (especially fingernail clippings). Standing between ¾ inch and 1 inch high, and measuring between 3 to 4 inches in diameter, these little vessels are perfect for holding all sorts of odds and ends—loose change, jewelry, paperclips, pins, keys, contraband. Or leave your Tiny Bowls in their birthday suits so their hand-painted patterns can catch the limelight.
Made of white stoneware clay with a clear glaze, each Tiny Bowl is a handcrafted, original artwork—no two are identical, differing slightly in appearance from piece to piece. Bingaman-Burt’s chosen material gives the bowls a “bumpy and clunky” (her own words) appearance that echoes the poppy, playful wobbliness of her drawings. You could keep a couple on hand for artful, unique gifts under $50 or collect one of each design to sit side-by-side on a counter or credenza. But since every single bowl is its own special snowflake, we’re extra into the idea of multiples. A mix of 5 scattered around your shelfie-est bookshelf? Brilliant. The variation in Tiny Bowls for Tiny Things is one of our favorite things about them, and part of the handmade appeal that got us started offering Artist Made editions in the first place.
Bingaman-Burt began making ceramic bowls in the first few months after her son Hank was born. Hunkering down at Hank’s grandma’s for the day, the artist would steal a moment to work on some projects, including hand-built plates and bowls made on her mom’s small kiln. For a longtime illustrator, exploring ceramics was an exciting segue—and the results are equally as exciting if you ask us. Tiny Bowls for Tiny Things may be bitty, but they pack an offbeat punch.
And those risograph prints we mentioned earlier? They’re just the cherry on top. Printed in an edition of 40 on a RZ390 named Janet (yes, Janet), these 5”x5” prints pop with fluorescent pink, aqua, and black, and each one is signed by the artist. ‘Cause when you think you’ve got enough good stuff to look at, Bingaman-Burt ups the ante.
