Ceramics for Everyday Ritual
and Gathering
Cutwork Co-founder Kelsea Crawford has studied with renowned Japanese contemporary artist Yoshimi Futamura since 2017. Her ceramics practice is grounded in the wheel and in the social life of objects: bowls, cups, serving dishes, and ceremonial chawans that invite daily ritual and pause. Working primarily in red clay with a restrained white-ash glaze, each series is released in small batches—quiet, durable pieces made to be used every day, to age well, and to gather people around a table. The result is work that feels quiet and honest—made to age well, to host conversation, and to elevate everyday rituals.
“I like my work to remain intuitive. If I overthink a piece, I lose the joy of beginning and seeing what emerges. It’s a counterpoint to the discipline of running a studio—and I value being able to hold both modes at once.”
Her practice is primarily wheel-thrown: centering, pulling, trimming—repetition as method. Small shifts in lip, foot, and wall change how a vessel sits in the hand and on the table.
The Wheel
Glaze & Surface
A simple dialogue: red clay stoneware with white-ash glaze—used as the primary base. Her practice also employs traditional Japanese glazes such as tenmoku, oribe, and kiseto.
Firing
Most pieces are wheel-thrown and fired in a gas kiln; raku firing—a traditional Japanese technique—is also used during a once-a-year workshop in Brittany, France.
Lineage
Study with Japanese artist Yoshimi Futamura grounds the practice in attention to volume and proportion. Her teaching emphasizes respect for material, clarity of form, and patient, self-led learning.
Studio
A small cohort of long-time students meets weekly to work side by side—each developing individual pieces while sharing tools, conversation,and tea. Every work session closes with a simple, shared meal, marked by fellow student Akiko’s onigiri—a generous weekly tradition that reinforces a culture of care, craft, and companionship.
Typologies
• Bowls
• Cups
• Plates
• Serving Dishes
• Chawans
Use & Ritual
These are working objects—made for everyday use and a natural lifecycle of wear and eventual replacement. Designed to serve, stack, and share, they are for daily meals rather than formal sets. They affirm beauty in the everyday—inviting care, slowing the pace, and making daily gatherings feel intentional.
Editions & Availability
Pieces are released in limited runs. Sets can be composed across typologies to build a coherent table; single pieces are available for gifts and daily use.
Inquiries
For current editions or commissions,
please get in touch.
Credits
Ceramics by Kelsea Crawford,
Cutwork CEO & Cofounder.
Mentor + Studio: Yoshimi Futamura (since 2017) — 19 Rue Fernand Léger, 75020 Paris — yoshimifutamura.com
Let’s Work Together
Have a project in mind? Need help bringing it to the world? We’d love to hear from you.
Or email us at hello@cutworkstudio.com
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