MEET THE SHORELINGS
Meet the Shorelings — a wonderfully weird bunch of handmade clay creatures, each with a personality of their own. Sculpted by ceramic artist John O’Brien, glazed with personality, and fired into something completely their own. No two are ever exactly alike.
Meet Barnaby Laughlin, a one-of-a-kind handmade ceramic monster from Coastal Clay Works. This jolly trickster Shoreling is always up to something.
** Size: 10.75” tall x 7” wide
He’s the kind of Shoreling whose laugh shows up early — warm, steady, and ready before the joke even lands. He stands with his hands resting on his belly like he’s bracing for joy, always eager to share it with whoever’s nearby.
He makes ordinary moments feel like small celebrations. If someone mentions a tiny victory, he lights up like it’s the best news of the week. But he does have a mischievous streak. He’s been known to hide a friend’s favorite snack just to watch them search for it, only to reveal it with a grin and claim, “I was protecting it.”
He’s gentle with worries, too, often humming a tune he insists he “accidentally invented.” Somehow, it always helps — although sometimes the tune mysteriously changes whenever someone starts looking for their missing cookies.
Most endearing of all, he remembers everyone’s favorite things — snacks, songs, storm-day spots — and he knows exactly when to bring them up. He’ll tease you just enough to make you laugh, then quietly make sure your day gets a little better.
The whole village insists he’s made of kindness.
They’re right.
They just don’t always notice the tiny footprints leading away from the cookie jar.
Barnaby Laughlin is a one-of-a-kind handmade stoneware creature sculpture, every Shoreling begins as a humble lump of stoneware clay, spun on the pottery wheel and slowly coaxed into it's own personality. From there, each is shaped, sculpted, and detailed entirely by hand—no molds, no duplicates, just a little bit of clay magic.
Hand-painted with underglazes, each Shoreling makes its journey through the kiln twice: once to become strong, and again after receiving its clear protective glaze.
Tiny variations and imperfections are part of the magic. They are little reminders that each Shoreling has its own story—and no two could ever be exactly alike.
**The Shoreling Size Guide Sizes are approximate, shaped by each creature’s natural wiggle, sway, and spark of magic.
