Setting the Table with Local Wares

Styled By Phyllis Higgerson

Handcrafted Designs for Entertaining and Every Day from Rhode Island Makers

You’ve bought the fish for tonight’s dinner directly from the docks. Picked up local vegetables and small-batch condiments from the farmers market. But do you have Rhode Island–crafted bowls, plates and decor to bring to the table, too? Take your meal to the next level by serving it in or on or alongside tableware made by area artisans.

WILLYWAW

At her Narragansett studio, Willywaw, artist Ashley Van Etten brings together illustration, sewing and screen printing to create nature-inspired home goods and apparel. She makes a variety of items for the kitchen and table, including handprinted tea towels, placemats and napkins.

Her minnow net napkins, pictured, began as a hand-drawn sketch of a delicate fish net, which she later screen-printed onto linen. If you don’t find anything in her studio shop that suits your fancy, she can whip up a custom order, like her minimalistic hemp canvas placemats, also pictured. “You can come into the studio to choose from different fabrics and prints, and I’ll make something to match your home and style,” Ashley says. Willywaw.com

SALTWATER STUDIO NEWPORT AND WANDERLUST CERAMICS

Inspired by Victorian-era seaweed pressings, Newport-based Mary Chatowsky Jameson has been making art out of marine algae from local waters for about 14 years. “When my son was small, we started collecting it at Third Beach, which is a haven for all kinds of seaweed,” Mary says.

And she has been friends with East Greenwich artist Craig Crawford of Wanderlust Ceramics for many years as well. But it wasn’t until the pandemic that the two decided to team up to create a line of bowls, plates, trivets and tiles adorned with seaweed patterns.

To create their dinnerware, Mary makes silk screens out of images of her seaweed pressings. Craig then uses the screens to apply various pigments, called underglazes, onto slabs of clay, leaving behind one-of-a-kind patterns depicting Irish Moss, colander kelp, chenille weed and other species. Afterward, the slabs are shaped into various vessels.

“Mary and I both like working with organic forms, and we work very intuitively together, so this collaboration was an easy fit,” Craig says. “I have found that collaborating with someone else is a great way to expand your own practice.”

SaltwaterStudioNewport.com WanderlustCeramics.com

JON WATANABE

Jon Watanabe has a degree in glassblowing from Massachusetts College of Art and Design but doesn’t limit himself to one medium. Many of his pieces also involve woodwork or metalwork, including his hand-blown ikebana vessels, pictured.

Inspired by Jon’s Japanese heritage, the vases have a metal flower frog to hold stems in place and sit on a cut-marble base with cork feet.

“I get so much joy from making something that’s unassuming but serves its purpose really well,” Jon says of his tableware, which also includes the cups and carafe pictured on page 29.

With funding support from DESIGNxRI and the Center for Craft, Jon is currently working on opening a new studio space in Pawtucket. JonWatanabe.com

SPOON + BOARD

After working for several years as a chef at various Rhode Island restaurants, Juan Ferrer needed a change. So, he taught himself woodworking and now dedicates his days to handcrafting rustic wooden cooking utensils and tableware. Juan uses walnut, maple, cherry and other Rhode Island found and foraged woods to handcraft items including artful cutting boards, smooth bowls and serving spoons.

“Most of my projects start with hand-milling native logs,” says Juan, of Pawtucket, who sells his creations at various Rhode Island farmers markets.

The Johnson & Wales graduate even applies the “nose-to- tail” cooking philosophy to his new craft, ensuring that as little wood as possible is wasted in his creative process. For example, he whittles smaller pieces into chopstick sets, complete with hand-carved rests. On Instagram @spoon_and_board

SALT POND POTTERY

Working out of their home studio along Salt Pond in Wakefield, Jon and Ashley Baylor spin clay into ceramic mugs, bowls and other tableware that is meant to complement, not compete with, the food or drink served in it.

“We try keep the work somewhat simple in form, but then have something intriguing on the surface of the clay,” Jon says. “One way we achieve that is through repetitive stamping and incorporating geometric shapes.”

The couple hopes those who own their work will use it daily rather than stick it up on a shelf for a special occasion. “We like to use our pottery to connect with people in a real and tactile way, without a lot of pretense,” says Jon, who also teaches ceramics classes at the Jamestown Art Center. SaltPondPottery.com

BEEHIVE HANDMADE

Beehive Handmade co-owners Sandra Bonazoli and Jim Dowd are as busy as bees making vintage-inspired metal kitchenware and other items out of their Warren studio space.

The married couple’s latest collection includes stylishly simple pewter napkin rings that work equally well in a historic or contemporary home. “We are referencing the traditional metalwork of the area but wanted them to be a little more modern looking,” Sandra says.

If you’re setting the mood with warm candlelight, use their Bobeche Candlestick Holders to keep pillars steady and secure while preventing wax from dripping on your table.

“We really believe that objects can bring some joy into your day,” Sandra adds. “Similar to food, people can connect with them in an intimate way.” BeehiveHandmade.com