Hand Built

My handbuilt work is all one of a kind. I use Earthenware clays and a variety of glazes, slips and underglazes to create unusual, seductive surfaces; slick and wet, dry and parched or somewhere in between. The pairing of these surfaces interests me because one highlights what's interesting about another.

I use slabs, pinching, carving, and parts of found and original molds, altering them and rearranging them to suit my vision. I'm always looking for play in work. I define play as a sense of not really knowing what is going to happen next despite being involved in a process that is very familiar, almost comfortable, even repetitive. In play there is also a chance of winning, defined as a moment of pure magic. Since working with heat, chemicals and elements is a collaboration always, I am challenged by an awareness that my ambitions with the clay may be brought down by these other players at any time.

The imagery itself comes from many sources - history, mythology, daily life - filtered through my perspective which includes feeling confused by much of what I see happening in the world. Most of the time I interpret with humor, albeit with a barbed edge. I work to spell out contradictions I experience through shape and imagery, tyring to participate in an instinctual way.

I choose clay because it is a silent, sensual medium which registers any moment with complete honesty, mirroring my approach to it in ways that are not always easy to accept. Clay also has a life cycle. I can teach it different things at different times and it is a new beast from one stage to the next. Close attention must be payed to these transitions, so in the end, it works me.

My work is available in stores and galleries across the country. Please see the where to find page for the nearest gallery
Thanks!