My work reflects a fascination with utilitarian objects.  The wonder of pottery is that it has the potential to become the user’s companion each day, taken into the home, and into the hand of the user—a very personal space. It is considered many times, and on many levels, both consciously and subconsciously.  As our world becomes more virtual, I am compelled to be a maker and stubbornly hold to the commitment that beautiful handmade objects impact our existence. My work is knowingly influenced, both visually and conceptually, by the Mingei craft movement and the teachings of the Bauhaus, and with consideration for the history of pottery, my challenge is to add something personal to it through my work.

 

I have discovered that there are physical processes which personally connect me to my work, challenge my skills and propel ideas. My process focuses on wheel-thrown and altered forms using numerous hand building techniques. This throwing and altering process sets up a marriage of the organic and geometric that is critical for the translation of my observations and displays the influence of Bernard Leach’s laws of pottery form, “Curves for beauty; angles for strength” (A Potter’s Book pg. 24).  Working this way sets up a scenario where I can explore the dynamics of planes and edges and focus on how their arrangement forces the viewer’s eye to move around, in and out of forms which inevitably creates a connection between the maker and user.  In my studio, I am constantly in pursuit of strong forms that utilize abstract universal symbolism creating plural meanings relating to landscape and architecture.  These subjects become the conceptual underpinning for my approaches to painterly surfaces, glaze color, texture and the contrasting relationships between these explorations.  Experimentation and improvisation continue to be important to me as I am repeatedly questioning the balance between the rational and spontaneous making processes.

 

My work displays an interest in groupings of similar forms to explore the implication of ritual objects and to celebrate human traditions.  As I raise my family, I find it important for me to question the need for rituals in our ever-changing society, whether these ceremonies are occasional or daily.  My work is consciously constructed to present and relate to food and its nourishment, potentially connecting nostalgic memories of many to the gathering of families and friends for special events. Historically we see that ritual objects are set apart.  My process is a thoughtful conversation about how an object is set apart and how it has the power to create an atmosphere of its own.  I want the work to have an intimate presence and invite the viewer to pick up and use the pieces, and therefore have a tactile experience associated with the appreciation of the handmade.