Inspired by the places where I spent my childhood and continue to visit regularly, I use clay to create forms that recall family rituals and the textures, colors, and patterns that permeate my sense of home.

All ceramics are food-safe glazed. 

Vessel Collection is a series of hand-built flasks and vases designed to carry what we hold dear – flowers, oil, vinegar, spirits, and more.  These clay vessels are sized to comfortably hold by hand and display on a counter.  A different geometric pattern is engraved on each side, representing intricate designs in traditional Arab/Islamic art that evoke an expansive repetition of form. 

Imprints Collection is a series of ceramic plates formed from silver, copper, and glass plates passed down from my parents. These plates serve as formal and tactile memories of family and hospitality with friends and neighbors.

Incensed Collection is an experimentation in ways of holding charcoal tablets. The luban, bukhur and oud, which I carry with me from each visit “back home,” are delicately placed on the cubed embers, producing intoxicating scents that fill the house.

Finjan Collection is a series of handleless cups of various sizes. Inspired by the traditional finjan for serving coffee and tea—a hallmark of Arab hospitality, I am experimenting with different patterns, colors, and clay bodies to create cups that are comfortable to hold with a smooth texture.

Wintering Collection draws inspiration from seasonal fruits — pomelos and pomegranates — that are both a nostalgia for those readily available fruits in my childhood, and the sustenance these fruits now offer during winter months living in America. The fruits’ pop of yellow and red on the kitchen counter brighten my days during the chilly winter.

Links Collection is an exploration of geometric forms for their aesthetic and sound qualities, using a color gradation of clay bodies that are fired unglazed. The cut out hexagons become another design opportunity to create patterns and imprints.

Nature Inspirations is a collection of works that draws upon the early spring landscape–defined by colonnades of bare trees, sprouting wildflowers, and large boulders–where I spent a two-week independent artist residency.

Wood-fired is an array of works inspired by the terraced hillside village of Cerdeira, Portugal where I participated in a collective wood-firing of a Susukenei smokeless kiln.

Misalla Collection is a series of obelisk-inspired forms exploring scale, texture, and clay body. Misalla is the Arabic term for both a metal needle and the ancient Egyptian obelisk—monumental and commemorative, typically framing the entrances of temples. Standing tall and monolithic-like, the clay forms that I make are hollow, to be used as containers of life.

Match Striker Collection is a series of rectilinear forms exploring variations in a functional design for holding and striking matches on a textured, unglazed surface. 

Tile Coasters draw inspiration from the long standing tradition of clay tile-making in the Arab/Muslim region. Ubiquitous in every type of space and room–monumental and ordinary, indoor and outdoor, tiles create a visually compelling and ever expanding decorative surface. My simple geometric and floral patterns accentuate texture in varied shapes, clay bodies, underglazes, and glazes. Integral to functional hospitality, these tiles can be used singularly or as a set, side by side.

Labneh Boards is a series of ceramic boards designed for making a savory or sweet spread with labneh (strained yoghurt, also known as “kefir cheese”). Inscribed on each board is the Arabic word “sahtain” (which translates to a wish for double health, like saying “bon appetit”).

Berry Bowl is a strainer and bowl in one for ease of use. With shallow and deep bowls, the geometric pattern creates a sieve for washing tomatoes, berries, and other fruit.

Hospitality Plates is a series of simple ceramic plates and bowls for hosting guests at home.

Welcome Tiles is a series of colorful plaques embellished with “Ahlan” (Welcome) and a string of beads to hang on the wall.