Artist Statement
I make mostly functional food-safe pieces. I throw, hand-build, combine the two, and alter. I experiment with forms and color. Colors have flavors to me. Combining forms, color, and then putting homemade food into/onto my pieces—well, it’s a bit of heaven—the harmony that is created. When I am not making functional work, I create decorative mosaic pieces, combining hand-carved relief tile pieces and glass. These pieces are always of nature—mostly trees I have met on my hikes or am surrounded by where I live, and the atmospheres around them—air, sun, mountain, water. I use white, speckled, or brown clays and for my larger slab forms, I mix in paper-clay as well.
My surfaces are a combination of slip/underglaze-trailed designs, either hand-drawn lines, or built-up textures, and then glazed with many colors. I fire to cone 5 in an electric kiln. The pieces I make tend to follow themes—and I usually work on three themes at a time. Currently, I am working on playing with patterns found in nature: plant stalks, moth wings, and snow, and creating mandala-like designs. Another is texture—currently from the sea: coral, sand, anemones, and more. Lastly, I am taking my passion for hiking, and bringing my favorite places into my pots by using the topo maps I always have with me and interpreting them with color, changing the overall perspective of the hikes as well, and placing them into freeform, fluid, slab-built pieces. With these themes, I bring my memory of the places I have adventured to, the smell of the air, feel of the water, and taste of sun.
Studio Description
I work mostly in my home studio, which is the size of a walk-in closet. My kiln is out in the garage. I also teach at the Gilpin Pottery studio—which is located at our local community center.
What type of clay do you use?
Bmix smooth, Electric brown, Bmix Speckle, and paper clay
What temperature do you fire to?
cone 5-6
What is your primary forming method?
I don't have one.
What is your favorite surface treatment?
Slip trailing and glaze
Do you make any of your own tools?
No
What one word would you use to describe your work?
Colorful
What is your favorite thing about your studio?
That it's mine. I grew up in Manhattan—to have my own space is a gift—even if it is tiny.
What is the one thing in your studio you can’t live without?
My canvas covered butcher block work surface.
What are your top three studio wishes?
Larger, slab roller, pug mill
What’s on your current reading list?
Where the Crawdads Sing, When Falcons Fall, The House of Sky and Breath
How do you save money on materials and supplies?
I always say yes when someone is giving away clay they don't want anymore
How do you recharge creatively?
Hiking
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
Clean up, cover your clay, and close your glazes. (that simple)
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
Always trying to throw different forms. I can build anything—but throwing new forms—I always go after new ideas. One day I would like to do clay full-time.
What did your first piece look like?
It was a mug i made my dad in high school. I found it when he passed. It had an arm for the handle and the hand was holding the lip with grapes at the bottom.
What ceramic superpower would you have and why?
Patience—haha. I am fearless with clay—but I have no patience. Oh, and to have enough focus to understand chemistry.
What area of skill do you most look to other artists to learn?
Throwing techniques and glaze formulation
Who is your ceramic art mentor and why?
I have a few. Bruce Dehnert—for always reminding me to ask why. Bill Shillalies—for making me fearless with clay. Steve Briggs—for giving me the freedom to do clay again, in Colorado.
What is on your studio playlist?
I listen to audio books—fantasy novels, mostly.
Why do you create art?
Can't help it. (I make music, too.)
Who is your favorite artist, and what do you admire about that artist?
I don't have a favorite artist. I get inspired by my students—a lot. My husband is a surrealist painter— I love his work— the wonder in it.
What is your best studio tip?
Again, clean up as much as you can at the end of a working session.
If you could change one property of clay, what would it be?
