Artist Statement
Nature is where I seek my inspiration. It’s beauty is fascinating, it never remains the same for long. Part of a poem by Robert Frost has always captivated me: “Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour.” I feel Nature’s mysteries envelope me when I create; magical, ever moving, changing, like clay moving through my hands on the wheel. This fuels my passion and defines my purpose: To attempt to capture a piece of that nature and hold its allure and elegance in my work.
My true passion is crystalline glazing, a process where crystals are grown in the glaze during the firing stage, similar to how geodes and gems grow in nature. Because there is no way to predict where and how the crystals grow, each piece is completely unique. I throw all my pottery on a wheel using porcelain clay and mix my own glazes from raw materials. My greatest joy comes when I am able to harmonize porcelain clay with the crystalline glaze in such a way that one cannot tell where the clay ends and the glaze begins. Each piece then holds a depth and a life all of its own.
My true passion is crystalline glazing, a process where crystals are grown in the glaze during the firing stage, similar to how geodes and gems grow in nature. Because there is no way to predict where and how the crystals grow, each piece is completely unique. I throw all my pottery on a wheel using porcelain clay and mix my own glazes from raw materials. My greatest joy comes when I am able to harmonize porcelain clay with the crystalline glaze in such a way that one cannot tell where the clay ends and the glaze begins. Each piece then holds a depth and a life all of its own.