American ceramicists Emily Rae Counts and Jessie Rose Vala have designed a collection of eclectic stoneware, featuring an array of designs inspired by nature.
Ceramic tigers and alpacas double up as candle and incense holders, while lamps and vases feature clay vines growing across their surfaces, as well as evil eye symbols.

The pair make up ceramic studio Vala Rae, collaborating on the pieces from their respective homes in Washington and Oregon states in the Northwest of the US.
The duo describe the region as being "at the edge of the Ring of Fire region where volcanoes, rain and the evergreen trees reign supreme."

Taking inspiration from these aspects of nature, Counts and Vala's ceramic collection is made up of hand-crafted lamps, candle holders, vases, planters and bongs that are decorated with crystalline shapes, leaf prints and spiritual symbols.
"Ultimately we are attracted to pattern and shape and the formal aspects of these nature motifs, as in the positive and negative shapes of a tropical leaf, or the repeating striped pattern of a tiger," explained the duo.
"The symbols that we are attracted to and recur in our relief patterns, such as the eye symbol, are often imbued with significant meanings as well as the beauty of symmetry and shape," they added.

Each object is hand-crafted from slabs of clay and extruded clay forms. Additive processes are also applied to some of the pieces, where various clay shapes are attached to the cer...