By Jess Chamberlain, Sunset home & design writer

I’ve been seeing owl décor everywhere. Just yesterday, I discovered what could almost be considered its own owl décor section at Anthropologie.

During a recent search for western ceramic artists doing interesting work (stay tuned for the December issue marketplace article) I found Chris Stiles of Stiles in Clay (he and his lovely wife, Cindy, had a booth at the New York International Gift Fair in August).

How cute are these ceramic owls?!

Info: Owls by Chris Stiles
About: The owls are made with a cone 5 white clay that is fired to a low temperature. The white clay gives the best results for color and the cone 5 clay helps the birds make it through the "harsh" firing process. Each owl is fired in a kiln using a technique called saggar firing. Containers (saggars) are put in the kiln and filled up with wood, saw dust, and other burnable materials, and then the owl is placed in the saggar. After firing the kiln the owls come out with that unique one-of-a-kind coloration.
Cost: $130 and $70 plus shipping and handling.
To purchase: Stiles in Clay, www.stilesinclay.com

For more owl love, check out the hoot-themed story we did in the October 2005 issue.