Dodie Thayer (American, 1926-2018), Set of Eight Signed Ceramic Shell Plates

South Florida, late 20th century, scallop shell form plates hand-painted in salmon pink, each with painted signature to the underside.

7 3/4 x 7 3/4 in.

From a Prominent Collector, Aiken, South Carolina

Inspired by 18th century European ceramic traditions, Floridian ceramic artist, Doris “Dodie” DuBois Thayer Hawthorn, is celebrated for her lettuce wares and shell themed ceramic dinnerware.
Dodie grew up on the Jupiter inlet and graduated with a degree in Home Economics from Florida State University in 1948. Dodie waited tables in a restaurant in West Palm Beach in her youth and always wanted to be an artist. Starting out as a hobby, her pieces became a hit with the likes of Frank and Barbara Sinatra, Jacqueline Kennedy, C.Z. Guest and Palm Beach elites. Queen Elizabeth II even ate lunch on a set of specially ordered Lettuce Ware when she visited a Kentucky horse farm in 1986, according to The Palm Beach Post archives. Her career continued to flourish later in her life in collaborations with various designers including fashion designer Tory Burch. .

Good estate condition.