Dear You Ceramics - 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.

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...