Esteri Tomula born October 31, 1920 in Helsinki, Finland – 1998) was a ceramic artist and designer who worked at the Arabia ceramics factory in Helsinki, Finland from 1947 to 1984. she is known for her decorative work often inspired by Finland’s flora. Her most famous designs include the tableware series Pastoraali, Fennica and Krokus, and she often collaborated with Kaj Franck, a famous Finnish ceramic designer. Tomula used a special technique that combined printing and painting: the black outlines were first screen-printed and then filled with colorful, hand-painted details. The Esteri pattern, originally designed by Tomula in 1973, was relaunched in 2017 by Arabia to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Finland.
