Each one is shaped and finished by hand, and I pierced the body with dozens of openings so the light becomes part of the shark’s pattern when it’s turned on.
Probably one of my favorite ocean creatures I’ve translated into clay so far. 🦈
Hammerheads have always fascinated me — such a strange, ancient, almost unreal shape. I wanted to capture that feeling in ceramic and bring a little piece of the ocean into the dark.
So these glowing hammerheads were born. 🦈🌊
Made from ceramic using clay casting, then finished by hand in my studio.
The original ray was sculpted entirely by hand, then I made a plaster mold and cast each lamp in clay. Every piece is finished, glazed and fired by hand in our ceramic studio in Ukraine.
Inspired by eagle rays and the way they seem to fly through the ocean.
I’ve always been fascinated by eagle rays—the way they seem to fly underwater rather than swim.
I wanted to capture that feeling in ceramic, so I sculpted this wall lamp from stoneware clay. After refining the shape, I carved every light opening by hand, glazed it in deep ocean blues, and fired it twice before assembling the lighting.
I love how different it feels depending on the time of day. Unlit, it’s a glossy ceramic sculpture. Once the light is on, all those tiny hand-carved openings create a completely different mood, almost like sunlight filtering through water.
Making pieces like this is my way of bringing a little bit of the ocean into everyday spaces, especially for people who feel at home near the sea—even when they’re hundreds of miles away.
Hope you enjoy it! I’d love to hear what you think.
After a long day, I always end up in this corner of the house.
My little Westie comes over to inspect whatever I’m working on, and this time it was a ceramic whale shark lamp I had just finished.
I hand-sculpted it from stoneware, carved hundreds of tiny holes by hand, glazed it, and fired it twice. When the light comes on, it feels less like a lamp and more like a quiet piece of the ocean drifting into the living room.
Home isn’t really about furniture or walls. It’s those small evening rituals—warm light, a curious dog, and finally sitting down after making something with your own hands.
Hope you like it. 🦈💙
I made this ceramic Eagle Ray wall lamp using a combination of sculpting, plaster mould-making, slip casting, and hand-finishing.
The original master model was sculpted from plasticine, then I created a plaster mould and cast the final form in liquid clay. After removing it from the mould, I refined the surface by hand, added the light openings individually, glazed it, and fired it in the kiln.
I like using slip casting as a starting point rather than the final step—it lets me preserve the main form while still making each piece slightly different through handwork, decoration, and glazing.
The lamp works as a ceramic wall sculpture during the day and creates a soft pattern of light at night.
I made this Eagle Ray wall lamp using the slip-casting technique. I poured liquid clay into a plaster mold to create the main form, then carefully refined the shape and added the relief, textures, and details by hand.
I individually cut dozens of openings across the body, slowly dried the piece, fired it, covered it with a deep ocean-blue glaze, and fired it again. By day, it’s a ceramic wall sculpture; at night, warm light shines through the openings like an underwater constellation.
Made by hand in my studio in Kyiv, Ukraine. 🌊✨
Last week I have posted the great white shark and hammerhead shark ceramic lamps, and many people was asking to make the whale shark lamp, so I have made two with different designs and I would like to ask which you like the most?
Developing new lamps is always the big exciting work, from the sketch to the clay model, then moulding and making the first piece with its unique design.
I’ve always been fascinated by sharks.
Not as monsters, but as some of the most elegant and ancient creatures in the ocean. Their shapes, movement, and quiet power inspired me to create this collection of handmade ceramic shark lamps.
Each one is cast in clay, then assembled, hand-carved, textured, glazed, and fired multiple times before becoming a functional lamp. No two have exactly the same surface or details.
I’ve always felt at peace by the ocean.
Right now, I can’t simply pack a bag and disappear to the coast. I’m serving in the Ukrainian Army, and life looks very different than it did a few years ago.
But the ocean never really left me.
It found a place in my workshop and in my hands.
Whenever I have time, I return to clay and keep sculpting humpback whales. Each one is cast in ceramic, assembled by hand, carved, glazed, and pierced with hundreds of tiny holes so they glow like light beneath the surface.
Maybe that’s why I keep making them. They remind me that somewhere beyond all the noise, there are still quiet places where giants drift through deep blue water, completely unaware of the chaos above.
Until I can stand on a shore again, this is how I stay connected to the ocean.
A lot of people ask how these are made, so here’s the process.
Every whale begins as slip-cast ceramic. I use plaster molds to create the main body and the separate parts, like the fins. Once the pieces are ready, they’re assembled by hand into a single sculpture.
This is where the creative part really begins. I carve all of the flowing lines and textures by hand, so no two whales are ever exactly alike. Then I add the small details and carefully drill hundreds of tiny holes that will later let the light shine through.
After that, the whale dries slowly. Once it’s completely dry, I refine every surface, smooth the transitions between the assembled parts, and finish all the small details before the first firing.
The first firing is at 950°C (1742°F) in an electric kiln.
After that comes glazing. I use a spray glazing technique, applying multiple layers to build soft gradients and deep ocean-like textures that would be difficult to achieve with brushing alone.
The whale then goes through a second firing at 1050°C (1922°F).
Only after the final firing do I install the electrical components and lighting. That’s the moment when it finally stops being just a ceramic sculpture and becomes a glowing whale lamp.
A lot of people ask how these are made, so here’s the process.
Every whale begins as slip-cast ceramic. I use plaster molds to create the main body and the separate parts, like the fins. Once the pieces are ready, they’re assembled by hand into a single sculpture.
This is where the creative part really begins. I carve all of the flowing lines and textures by hand, so no two whales are ever exactly alike. Then I add the small details and carefully drill hundreds of tiny holes that will later let the light shine through.
After that, the whale dries slowly. Once it’s completely dry, I refine every surface, smooth the transitions between the assembled parts, and finish all the small details before the first firing.
The first firing is at 950°C (1742°F) in an electric kiln.
After that comes glazing. I use a spray glazing technique, applying multiple layers to build soft gradients and deep ocean-like textures that would be difficult to achieve with brushing alone.
The whale then goes through a second firing at 1050°C (1922°F).
Only after the final firing do I install the electrical components and lighting. That’s the moment when it finally stops being just a ceramic sculpture and becomes a glowing whale lamp.