For years, creative director Veronica Ortuño was the face behind Las Cruxes — a beloved vintage shop, gallery, and event space in Austin, Texas, that was constantly touted as one of the cool places to go in a city that had no shortage of cool places to go. The shop closed early last year, but Ortuño was already deep into a project that would become her next baby — as Casa Veronica, she would offer creative services, interior design, and, as of this month, a collection of one-of-a-kind ceramic objects for sale via her website. “While working on an interiors project in Detroit” last year, Ortuño explains, “I visited the Detroit Institute of Art and was moved by their collection of vessels and sculptures dating back to 1200-1500 BC. The fact that these pieces survived thousands of years is absolutely incredible. I decided to take a few ceramics classes at the Art School at Laguna Gloria in Austin in the summer and fall of 2019 and quickly learned I had a natural rhythm of working with clay. It felt inherent and familiar.”

The collection is called Paloma; in addition to referencing her travels and her Mexican heritage, the pieces were inspired by Ortuño’s daughter Paloma, with whom she became pregnant while developing the collection. The utilitarian lamps, vessels, figurines and sculptures are all hand-built and hand-painted, making each piece distinctive and one-of-a-kind. “Hand-building is an ancient traditional art form, however time-consuming,” she says. “Therefore production on a larger scale would take a long time. Producing with molds and slip casting is something I’m open to but not rushing. At the moment, hand-building keeps each creation unique and special. As time allows, I’ll offer several small runs of the popular designs so they can circulate a while longer.” Snag yours while you can here.