Fukumaru Ceramic & Glass Art Restoration

Naoko Fukumaru's work is exemplary. The restoration is so fine that only an expert would know that both legs were broken. I truly had no idea that I would be so extraordinarily happy with the final result. My beautiful little figurine has been in my family for over 75 years and is a precious family treasure. Thank you again, Naoko.

Naoko expertly repaired 5 big painted plates. She was able to do it in an invisible way. I highly recommend her work. She can transform your broken object into a thing of beauty.

I had two temmoku-style plates made by Charmian Johnson in the 1980s, long ago mended and taken out of service. Naoko brought them back to life. Her immaculate kintsugi restoration has made them even more beautiful than they were before. They are now feature treasures to be proudly displayed. Thank you Naoko. Your international reputation is well deserved. Call Naoko. She makes new pots from old.

I learned of Naoko's kintsugi practice at an exhibit titled "Imperfect Offerings" at the Richmond Art Gallery in July 2021. I had seen kintsugi before, but never like this! There were hundreds of her kintsugi pieces, ranging from functional ceramic ware to ancient Roman glass to fossils tens of thousands of years in age!! All done with such attention and care of the original spirit of the creature or artist who had made the original form. In describing her collaborative process of restoring pieces made from renowned BC potters who have since retired from producing pottery, she speaks of spending significant time with the potters in order to understand why they made these pieces in these particular ways. She does this with the intention of integrating their wishes, and to restore not only the physical, but spiritual aspects of their ceramics. I especially enjoyed the pieces where she integrated an artistic flair to the pieces.

Her skills and knowledge comes through in the conventional and untraditional forms of kintsugi. Naoko had been a professional conservator from a western art restoration tradition for over two decades, working on important works such as Leonardo da Vinci's 'The Last Supper'!

Best of all, I had the opportunity to meet Naoko in person, and she is a delight. Passionate, knowledgeable, curious, and warm and caring. Objects in need of new life are in good hands with Naoko.

Naoko's expertise is unrivalled in Vancouver (if not Canada) and her work speaks to that skill.

I've had Naoko restore and repair a few ceramics with Kintsugi lacquer and gold. And instead of trying to hide the damage, the Naoko's beautiful job has made the pieces even better than before they were damaged. This kind of work is really a collaboration between the ceramic and Naoko's artistry. That said, if you were to choose a blind restoration, I'm sure Naoko would also do that to perfection.

Moreover, Naoko is extremely professional and responsive. Her proposal and quoting process explained each step clearly, answering all of my questions and giving me various options.

Below are before and after photos of a recent Kintsugi repair she completed for me.