Artist Statement

Working in clay appeals to me at several levels: the purely sculptural aspects to the artist, the challenge of balancing form and function to the problem-solver, and the primal act of centering (both myself and the lump of clay spinning on the wheelhead) to the spiritual.

There is a certain oft-described “Zen-ness” to the act of making pottery, especially wheel-thrown work. (yikes—did I Really say that?) Subtle, complex curves and the potential spareness of a simple, elegant vessel intrigue me. Despite exuberant exceptions, the pieces that I most prize tend to be the quiet, gracefully steady ones that achieve a balance between movement and stillness. Recently I have begun to attend to the surface of pieces a bit more.