Ocean-Inspired Porcelain Designs by Maria Moyer

Growing up in California, she was inspired by nature from an early age. The ocean, in particular, provides constant inspiration for her work. A recent collection Moyer designed in collaboration with West Elm was inspired by plankton, the water-based microscopic plants and animals at the base of the food chain. A percentage of the proceeds from the "Plankton Series" went to Oceana, an ocean conservation non-profit.

Not limiting herself to what’s under the sea, Moyer says she finds inspiration everywhere. "I'm moved by that which is all around us, but we might have stopped seeing or maybe never really noticed — like the ubiquity and exquisite weirdness of nature. In art—as in fashion, I'm often attracted to things that might be a bit odd or disturbing at first, as they hold my interest in a different way than conventional beauty."