There is something wonderfully ironic about Taku and Keiko Shinomoto—the Japanese owners of LA's Tortoise Store—discovering the work of Japan-based American craftsman Peter Ivy and bringing it back to the US. Ivy, a RISD grad and accomplished glassblower, lives with his family in Japan, where he and his wife Makiko Nagami (a glass artist in her own right) work on their craft.
"When I came to Japan, I recognized quickly that there was a fit between my own sensibility as a maker of glass objects and the culture here," Ivy says. "I also felt a great curiosity about the sensibility of handmade items in Japan; I really enjoy the idea of my work being viewed within the context of 'things Japanese.' "
N.B. Through the month of May, Taku and Keiko are asking for $10 Donations to go to architect Shigeru Ban's Temporary Housing Solution for survivors of the tsunami.
Above: Small glass jars for storing coffee or tea; $190.
Above: Ivy's mouth-blown glass tumblers are paper thin with a tint of green; small tumbler; $45, large tumbler; $60.
Above: Containers for storing pasta (or soba); $275.
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