Ceramicist Deana Coveney creates pieces that showcase plants and animals on them with her small business Vuvu Ceramics. When creating her plant inspired pieces, she uses parts of real plants to make impressions on her clay. Considering how ceramic clay itself is an all-natural material, this makes Coveney’s ceramics mementos of all life on the planet.
After being fired in the kiln and finished with a glaze, ceramics tend to be fragile and yet hold importance in society as beautiful keepsakes. This adds yet another layer of meaning to her pieces, her ceramics become reminders of the current fragile state of wildlife on the planet and how on the other side of the coin, wildlife means so much for humanity and its longevity. This is why her pieces are relevant to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Life on Land, and Life Below Water.
Based in the small beach town of Encinitas, California, Coveney hand makes every single piece by herself. By keeping production small and doing everything by her own hand, she wants to ensure that she can really feel nature’s connection and mediate it for her clients. Coveney also makes sure that she can honour nature further by keeping her production methods is as natural as possible—she uses no molds and no mass production method, opting instead for the traditional pottery wheel and a solar powered ceramics kiln.
The flowers and leaves she uses for her pieces have also been taken from her own garden sustainably. Before harvesting them, she makes sure that there is always more than enough for insects, pollinators and biodiversity to thrive. Each Vuvu Ceramics piece is also plated with real 22 carat gold, added on the piece’s third firing to ensure that the clay reaches full maturation so that they will last longer than conventional store bought ceramics.
“The name Vuvu comes from the abbreviation of Vulpes Vulpes, the scientific name of the Red Fox. You may find one curled up sleeping on the corner of your ring holder,” explains Coveney about her brand name. The Red Fox, curled up on a bed of lush greens is indeed a signature piece from Vuvu Ceramics. It gives its viewers a direct understanding of the connection between animals and plant life. By having them on a ceramic dish, their connection beings are also being underlined.
Here, handcrafted pieces by Vuvu Ceramics not only serve as functional everyday objects but also as poignant reminders of humanity’s connection to and responsibility of the natural world. Coveney’s commitment to sustainable practices and all-natural materials also adds another layer of meaningfulness to her pieces, one that will resonate with her audiences and move them to make better choices for the livelihood of their wonderful, fairy-tale like, creatures that human beings share the planet with.
Find out more about Vuvu Ceramics by Deana Coveney and their other initiatives by checking their Instagram on @vuvu_ceramics.