CHALA TOPRAK

I work exclusively with the highest quality porcelain because it allows me to experiment with the creative process and shape exquisite and fragile flowers. My pieces are a testament to the celebration of life, represented by the blooms we share with loved ones. Flowers remind us how we also can grow and blossom, each uniquely, just as each piece is hand crafted and glazed. Walking with my young son through Brooklyn, I find inspiration everywhere from neighbors’ gardens to the local park and then research the shapes and petals that catch my eye. ‘Dear You’ pieces are meant to be used and enjoyed every day, beautiful to see and touch. Like life, they are a gift, created with love and kindness, from my hand to yours.

Often, I start with something in mind and let my hands do the work in tandem with my eye. I employ wheel and hand building (coiling) techniques to ensure each piece is an original; sometimes among the petals you may find hand and fingerprints. The pieces are fired in the gas kiln at Gasworks NYC Studio, one of only three studios using gas-fired kilns in New York. The porcelain offers a luminescent quality, which allows me to adorn my pieces with paper-thin petals and blooms. Still a relative newcomer to ceramics, I love exploring techniques and styles as ‘Dear You’ blooms. Join me on my journey…

Biography

CHALA TOPRAK
  • Candlestick No. 5Candlestick No. 5
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Candlestick No. 5

    $72.00
    $72.00
  • Candlestick No. 4
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Candlestick No. 4

    $72.00
    $72.00
  • Candlestick No. 3
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Candlestick No. 3

    $94.00
    $94.00
  • Candlestick No. 2Candlestick No. 2
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Candlestick No. 2

    $123.00
    $123.00
  • Candlestick No. 1
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Candlestick No. 1

    $123.00
    $123.00
  • Wild Petals No. 10Wild Petals No. 10
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Wild Petals No. 10

    $2,588.00
    $2,588.00
  • Wild Petals No. 18Wild Petals No. 18
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Wild Petals No. 18

    $719.00
    $719.00
  • Wild Petals No. 9Wild Petals No. 9
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Wild Petals No. 9

    $1,423.00
    $1,423.00
  • Wild Petals No. 8Wild Petals No. 8
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Wild Petals No. 8

    $1,869.00
    $1,869.00
  • Ash Bloom No. 7Ash Bloom No. 7
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Ash Bloom No. 7

    $504.00
    $504.00
  • Full Bloom SculptureFull Bloom Sculpture
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Full Bloom Sculpture

    $3,558.00
    $3,558.00
  • Bouquet VaseBouquet Vase
    CHALA TOPRAK

    Bouquet Vase

    $1,725.00
    $1,725.00
  • My Wild Garden N.2My Wild Garden N.2
    CHALA TOPRAK

    My Wild Garden N.2

    $1,021.00
    $1,021.00
About CHALA TOPRAK

I, Chala Toprak,  started out as a fashion designer in my hometown of Istanbul, and after nine years craved a break from the fast pace and long nights. Swapping one metropolis for another, I found a home in Brooklyn in 2019, where I was curious to try a ceramics class. From the first moment working with clay, I knew it would become a permanent fixture in my life. Converting a corner of the apartment into a “Tiny Studio”, I found solace at the pottery wheel, every day happily discovering a liberty this art form provided. What started as a hobby quickly developed into something more as I found creative freedom and felt compelled to pursue ceramics full time. ‘Dear You’ was founded during the pandemic when I discovered that people appreciated and wanted to buy my porcelain pieces. Today I am the sole mind, hands and heart behind ‘Dear You’.