Hi!

It’s 2026!
I can’t believe we’re already turning the page on 2025.

I’ve been trying to ground myself in the new year and lean into a little more long-form, personal connection. Hopefully you enjoy these newsletters with a few more stories (and recipes soon to come that I’m working on to pair with new ceramic releases).

Here’s what’s coming in 2026 — and a few moments from 2025, work and life.

Top of 2026

I’m super excited to be flying off to NYC and Paris at the end of this week. I’ll be there for the rest of January, showing my ceramics, working on new designs, and helping my husband with his showroom.

If you’re hoping to place a January gift order, now’s the moment — the last day I’ll be shipping is Friday, Jan. 16.

Right now I have oyster plates in stock, plus my new tomato berry bowls, and a few shell bowls — bright and lovely pieces that will lift you out of any January gloom.

Getting back into the studio has felt like: no big declarations — just clay and hands. Right now I’m working on customizable seder plates. You can add inscriptions, names, and dates. They make a beautiful addition to your Passover celebrations, and the kind of gift that can be cherished (and passed down).

Some 2025 highlights

The year ended at the exact center of California.
We spent the holidays near Yosemite with family — rain, misty skies, and the Sierra Nevadas looking especially dramatic. I got my hands on some wild clay. This is becoming a pattern: I’m always scanning the ground for it while hiking, and stopping to make a pinch pot right there on the trail. Working with wild clay is creating a whole new dimension in my work — one that dives even deeper into my connection with Mother Earth. The colors are more natural, and the search for feminine creation blossoms. I can’t wait to share more of this as it develops.

A quiet project taking shape.
I’ve also been slowly working on a small book — a collection of recipes designed to pair with my ceramics. It’s notes, sketches, and meals with friends. Hoping to share more about it this spring.

An Oyster Vase I haven’t shared yet.
At the very end of 2025, I made an Oyster Vase I’m finally ready to show. I’m loving the repetition of the oyster forms — how the shape starts to abstract and the focus shifts almost entirely to texture. It feels like an ongoing conversation.

Big changes at home.
In the summer of 2025, I moved my studio. I am now fully based in Long Beach, slowly building out my ideal ceramic studio at home.

We also redesigned our front yard with California native plants — ripped out dead grass, dug up over 8,000 pounds of dirt by hand (truly), and had friends and family come help plant it all. Exhausting and joyful, and one of the highlights of my year.

(I know you’re here for ceramics, but if you ever want to talk CA native plants, I’m always happy to.)

Thanks for being here — for reading, for caring, and for making space for slower things.

Warmly,
Catherine
Rex Design