Beiko Ceramics

"The name Beiko is an homage to my grandmothers and mother, who brought people together with food."

Rita Seiko Payne is the artist behind Beiko Ceramics. She grew up on a little farm and early on, fell in love with all the natural beauty and resources she encountered. Her happiest moments were spent either outside or at her grandma’s Sunday dinners. She had always wished she could capture the crispness of fall, the delicacy of spring, and the abundance of summer and take those things with her. Through the process of slip casting, she was able to preserve every little detail of the objects she found the most exciting. Most often temporary objects which would normally be used and discarded.

After graduating from the Pratt Institute with a degree in ceramics, Rita moved back to upstate New York. She opened Beiko Ceramics, a ceramic studio where she can share her work with a wider audience. She hopes to create functional art that reminds the user to redefine the ordinary, to find excitement in the everyday, and to surround themselves with beauty.