ABOUT

Asuka with a board Bisqueware Teabowls

 

Asuka Mew 高田 飛鳥 and Anna Miller-Yeaman established Wingnut & Co. in 2013 and are designers and makers of tableware, vases, planters and lighting. 

Asuka is the primary craftsperson and the wheel based potter for Wingnut & Co. Asuka was raised in Northern Kyushu, Japan and is influenced by historical pottery studios in this area.

All ceramic pieces in their online shop are made by Asuka. Glaze testing and production is an important part of Asuka's practice and he formulates all of the glaze recipes for their designs.

Asuka and Anna blend & recycle commercially available Australian Clay. They also source and process hand-dug clay from areas in Country Victoria. All timber used in their designs is donated off-cuts from other creative Australian Businesses. Any timber waste is used to heat their space and the ash is used in their glaze recipes. 

The majority of their pieces are first bisque fired in their kiln to 1000° and then glaze fired to 1280°  in an oxidised atmosphere. They look forward to introducing small collections of reduction and wood fired pieces in 2023.

Asuka & Anna relocated to Trentham in 2020, Victoria about an hour north of Melbourne. They have closed their shop and workshop in in North Melbourne and thank everyone who has visited them over the past 5 years. They look forward to sharing the build of their new space soon. In the meantime they are still making, still firing and their online shop is open.

All materials used to ship orders are either recycled/recyclable/compostable and no plastics (including no plastic tapes) are used. Their workshop is off-grid and they use tank water for production. The majority of wheel-thrown work is currently made from a kick-wheel. They are committed to maintaining a sustainable practice.

Asuka & Anna have curated a collection of Japanese products that are complimentary to their designs. This selection includes handcrafted wares, organic tea, sake, incense and essential oil. This collection focuses on Kyushu makers that Asuka & Anna have visited often over the past decade but also includes craftspeople, designers and producers in other parts of Japan from renowned areas for speciality crafts and goods. 

 

Asuka throwing a bowl on the wheel

Slip getting painted on a Studio Cup

Processing Dug Clay

Bisqueware in the kiln