We started the Prism Boutique Marketplace Collection to keep our community connected and to introduce our customers to local artists from across the country. 

We’re so excited to introduce you to the next round of independent makers featured in our Marketplace. From one-of-a-kind ceramics to brand-new collabs, the thought and care that goes into each piece crafted by these artists is truly incredible. 

Get to know the talented creators behind each featured brand of our new Marketplace Collection and show your support any way you can.

WOTZ
Los Angeles, CA

Even though Robin Watts started his ceramics journey in high school, it took him many years to make his way back to it. “We had an incredible art program for a public school and I was able to take ceramics junior and senior years. After a long stint without doing any ceramic work I picked it up again at the end of 2019,” says Robin. 

After high school, Robin received his BFA in illustration and began freelancing until he ended up in a completely different field - the wine industry. He specialized in Italian wine and traveled the world working with restaurants and bars, until 2020. He says, “After everything happened in 2020, I decided to make a pivot that was partially my choice and partially not. It feels great to be making art full time again. It is like I got to push reset and it feels great to be supporting myself by being creative like I had set out to do so many years ago.” 

Finally finding his way back to his true passion, Robin has settled into his ceramic style, one that’s truly unique and a little out of this world. “I like to think the ceramic work I make is a little reminiscent of the graphic geometric shapes associated with mid-century design and something a little more weathered or ancient looking,” says Robin. He continues, “I'd even admit it isn't a stretch to say at times it can look almost alien. I think I'd be lying if I didn't say I am definitely influenced by the shapes and silhouettes of older science fiction design aesthetics.”

Inspired by the colors of California’s landscape and native wildlife, his color palettes are often neutral reflecting nature in its rawest state. He likes to leave areas unglazed to reveal the materials, exposing the clay and using that texture to play a role in the finished look. “I want my work to ultimately appear somewhat familiar but possibly of another time or distant place. I really love the past's idea of the future. It often felt futuristic and ancient all at once which really speaks to me.” Each one of Robin’s planters and vases in the Marketplace Collection can only be found at Prism. 

The Ryan Co. Ceramics 
Long Beach, CA

Ryan Bryant found ceramics years ago while looking for a way to slow down and find a reprieve from a competitive job that wasn’t quite his speed. “I needed something that was simply for me,” says Ryan. He continues, “I think it’s safe to say I started doing ceramics as therapy.” It was a way for him to clear his brain, unwind, and find fulfillment in creating something with his hands

Years later, now married with kids, he’s grown fond of the ritual of enjoying meals together as a family - something he wishes he could do more often with friends and their families. So he thought, ‘what’s the next best thing?’ 

“I get to make plates, bowls, and cups for a variety of people and their families. And I get great enjoyment out of knowing that there’s a handful of families out there sitting at a table together enjoying their meal and time together using my art to help make that time a little more visually stimulating aside from the functional stimulation it provides,” he says. 

After being challenged to start making lamps and realizing the importance light plays in enhancing a room’s ambiance, lighting was his next big step as a maker. “I set out to change the ambience in my own home and, as time went on, guests would see my lamps and show interest - which of course got my wheel spinning,” says Ryan. “Slowly but surely my ceramic lighting has taken the helm and played a larger role in my abilities to meditate and create.” We’re very honored to have collaborated with Ryan to create two checkered lamps that are super limited and exclusive to Prism.

Front Range Clay
Palm Springs, CA

For Texan born artist, Eric Flanagan, the ancient artistry and earthiness of pottery is what drew him to ceramics as a craft. “I’ve worked mostly with raw clays because I want people to feel that connectivity with nature when they hold one of my pieces,” says Eric.

Inspired by mid-century artists, architects and designers, like Donald Judd, Albert Frey, Roberto Burle Marx, Agnes Martin, and Isamu Noguch, Eric’s designs are a study of shape and form, creating planters that could be used for almost anything because of how beautifly they stand on their own. “I also love the earthenware work of Oaxacan pit fire potters. I like to marry the reduced, abstract forms of the mid-century era with earthy unglazed clays like terracotta,” he says.

In order to create the complicated, intricate shapes of his planters, something that would be nearly impossible to do on a wheel, Eric’s pieces are slip cast . “Slip (a.k.a. liquid clay) is poured into plaster moulds and allowed to form a layer along the walls of the mould,” says Eric. He continues, “Once the wall thickness is to my liking I dump out any remaining slip and then let it dry enough to be removed from the mould.” 

Seven Sundays Studios
San Francisco, CA

Though she’s been creating since before she can remember, Anya Dinovich spent years of her professional life working in fashion and retail for major US and European brands before starting Seven Sundays Studios in 2018. “What I loved most about fashion was the storytelling part of the creative process. It carried into my work with Seven Sundays Studios,” she says. “Most of my pieces have a story.”

To create that story, her design process is organic and intuitive - letting the material she works with inspire and guide her along the way. “I love coming up with new ways and techniques of weaving the wool roving through the wool dowels. For me it's all about the process and the creative discovery that happens,” says Anya. “I get lost in the process and I can say that I truly find peace and calm in my work and my sincere hope is that some of it gets transferred to the owner of the piece.”

Obsessed with softness, warmth, and texture, Anya’s favorite materials to work with are sheepskin and wool. She says, “ The sensory experience and interaction between my pieces and people who purchase them is very important to me. How the piece feels is equally important to me as how it looks when it's finished.” 

She continues, “I like the idea of combining materials, like working with wood dowels, which are very hard, and yarn, that’s very soft. How can they interact? How can they support each other? What I also love about wool and sheepskin is how organic and imperfect they are. Imperfection is the king!” 

And it’s each imperfection, each juxtaposed material and asymmetrical design that makes Anya’s pieces completely unique. “The highest compliment for me is not ‘It looks beautiful’, it's ‘It makes me feel happy,’ ‘It makes me smile,’ etc.” She says, “I'm humbled and immensely grateful to the customers who support my passion and allow me to do what I love.” Anya has created two Prism-exclusive wall hangings as part of the Marketplace.