Ceramicist Turns Handwritten Notes Into Sculptural Keepsakes

Handwritten notes hold immense sentimental value, yet their paper form is fragile and prone to decay. Enter Karina Black, a Southern California ceramicist, who has founded COSA, home of a truly unique way to preserve these precious memories. Her innovative craft transforms fleeting words into enduring sculptural keepsakes, offering a tangible connection to loved ones that can last for centuries.

Karina Black’s Artistic Vision

Ceramicist Karina Black, based in Southern California, is the creative force behind COSA and its unique offering, The Eternal Note. She began ceramics as a hobby in late 2021, quickly turning her passion into a full-time endeavor by November 2024. Her work epitomizes innovative ceramic memory keepsakes, blending art with deep personal meaning.

The Eternal Note Concept

Black’s signature creation, The Eternal Note, directly addresses the fragility of paper mementos. She transforms cherished handwritten letters or notes into solid, sculptural ceramic pieces. This unique art form captures a moment in time, transforming fleeting words into enduring, permanent objects designed to last for centuries, making them ideal for handwriting on pottery.

Inspired by Personal Loss and Love

The inspiration for this unique craft stemmed from Karina’s personal experiences, notably her father’s death five years prior and a heartfelt love letter from her husband. She deeply understood the delicate nature of paper keepsakes and sought a more permanent way to preserve such invaluable connections, fueling her mission to create unique sentimental gifts.

Meticulous Process

The artistic process is remarkably precise. Clients submit scanned letters, which Karina meticulously digitizes into a stencil. She then shapes and textures the clay to perfectly mimic the feel of paper. This initial step is crucial for transferring the original essence, ensuring faithful reproduction for personalized ceramic art.

Hand Painting and Carving Preserves Every Detail

After stenciling, Karina meticulously hand-paints the handwriting onto the ceramic surface using underglaze. She then carves and refines each line by hand, preserving every intricate detail and unique flourish of the original handwriting. This careful artistry ensures the custom ceramic keepsakes truly capture the personal touch of the original note.

Designed for Centuries of Durability

Each Eternal Note piece undergoes two separate firings in a kiln, transforming the clay into a solid, vitrified ceramic. This rigorous process ensures incredible durability and longevity. If properly cared for, these sculptural keepsakes are designed to last for centuries, providing enduring and permanent memory keepsakes that withstand the test of time.

Profound Emotional Impact

Karina Black’s work resonates deeply with her clients. The tangible preservation of meaningful messages often moves recipients to tears. Her ability to transform fragile notes into solid objects provides immense comfort and a lasting way to hold onto cherished memories and connections, making significant keepsake gifts for generations.

Unique Contrast

The essence of Black’s artistry lies in the powerful contrast she creates. She intentionally captures fleeting, personal words from delicate paper and embeds them into a solid, enduring ceramic material. This juxtaposition of impermanence and permanence is what makes her sculptural keepsakes truly unique, elevating custom handwriting gifts to an art form.

Memories Etched in Clay

Each custom ceramic keepsake becomes a tangible testament to love and connection, ensuring that fleeting words and precious memories are immortalized in enduring clay, providing truly unique sentimental gifts for generations to come.