Process

Before I ever begin in the studio, I fade into the creative oblivion and spend hours of mixed pleasure and pain drafting pieces into being on a sketchbook page. While I often end up working intuitively and altering pieces unplanned when working, a good deal of the pieces I create come directly from the pen and pencil in order to create a conceptually unified series. Almost all of my work starts with slabs. I cut, stretch, alter and manipulate the sheets of clay in both additive and subtractive methods to construct the form until it feels balanced and imbued with “personality”. I often employ only my hands, a paddle, and a small rib as my only tools, working quietly and thoughtfully so I can develop a rhythm that allows for both spontaneity and control in the process.

Materials & Surface

My ceramic pieces are made with all types of clay from stoneware to terracotta. I love discovering the challenges of different bodies whether they arise in construction or decoration. Unglazed, oxide-tinted surfaces mixed with textural glaze applications stimulate my ceramic fabrications and challenge my investigation of uniquely spirited pieces.

Depending on the piece’s personality, my sculptures may lay with bare surfaces meant to focus attention on the form itself, or drip with textural glazed patterns to enhance their character. Highly burnished smoothness may be interrupted with markings, and colorful accents can be found layered on top of bright clay bodies.

Firing

The firing stage is the most difficult part of the process because of its unpredictability. Even the most careful attention and planning may come undone with human error, the volatile nature of the chemistry of a glaze, and the stages of heating and cooling of the kiln. The “magic” and tragedies of 
firing has led me to an enthusiastic reluctance to try all styles of firings, falling in step most often with raku, barrel, and electric methods.