Clay Elements

Meet the Artist

• About This Artist

  As a ceramic artist, I am inspired by patterns in nature; the space between land, water and sky; matter shaped by the passage of time. Clay comes from the ground; it is essentially fine-grained rocks that are millions of years old. I am passionate about expressing the tactility of clay through articulation in form and color, letting chaos shimmer through. I want to create objects that embrace the sense of touch and evoke the contemplation of nature. I am interested in making cultural connections by juxtaposing modern and traditional design elements. My functional and sculptural vessels are wheel thrown and assembled with altered and carved components. These built forms are canvases for painting and mono-printing slips, stains and glazes. Craft is important for connecting the human spirit through the creative making process to the usage of the object. Craft builds community.

• Q&A With This Artist

  Q: Tell us how your work is made.

  A: My functional and sculptural stoneware and porcelain vessels are wheel thrown and assembled with altered and carved components. These built forms are canvases for painting and mono-printing slips, stains and glazes. My ceramic vessels are high temperature fired in an electric kiln and soda high temperature fired in a gas kiln.

  Q: What makes you passionate about the medium and materials you work with?

  A: I make stoneware and porcelain vessels. Clay comes from the ground; it is essentially fine-grained rocks that are millions of years old. I am passionate about expressing the tactility of clay through articulation in form and color, letting chaos shimmer through. I want to create objects that embrace the sense of touch and evoke the contemplation of nature. I hope that my work offers values of comfort in function and enjoyment in form.

  Q: What is something unique or unexpected about you or your work?

  A: In my work I create unique forms and surfaces through painting and mono printing slips and glazes.

  Q: Craft can bring with it the experience of delight and moments of wonder in the making process. How does wonder play a role in your practice?

  A: It is the sense of wonder in nature and beauty in the smallest detail of nature that inspire my work. The various processes in ceramics allow for these moments of wonder. Creative discoveries can be gleaned from wedging different clay bodies, forming and altering the clay at various stages from soft, to leather hard to bone dry. I like experimenting with the possibilities of the surface and textural values of clay at these stages and assembling the components. These experiments sometimes produce wonderful results beyond my expectations. In addition, the experiments and testing of glazes and firing the work multiple times changes the information for the next piece.

  Q: Is there a person in your life who inspires your work or who has helped shape your artistic practice?

  A: “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it’s your world for the moment. I want to give that world to someone else. Most people in the city rush around so, they have no time to look at a flower. I want them to see it whether they want to or not.” – Georgia O’Keeffe