Pottery Making Illustrated Articles (Simple)

The beauty of something that is designed so well it can go unnoticed. Being outside, routine, slow change, process, craftsmanship, good conversations, poetry, travel, and seeing something for the first time.

The history of ceramics in Virginia and the surrounding area is long and rich— think of the immense Native American contributions, Jamestown and Williamsburg potteries, and a shared shard history with reaches up and down the East Coast.

New ideas usually begin when I find something interesting in normal life and try to recreate my version of that object or device.

My forms are reminiscent of the architecture of my Rust Belt childhood, the swoop of the local skatepark features; they can conjure up a Pittsburgh bridge or video-game graphics.

What began as a way to remove excess weight from my beginner pots, has become a passion for carving away clay to reveal deeply furrowed designs that capture light and color in compelling ways.

Now, I make more elaborate boxes with different styles of feet and lids. My inspiration for each shape and surface design comes from my cultural background.

I started making match strikers two years ago while participating in a monthly pottery challenge at the community clay studio I teach at, East Mitchell Clay.

I have been working with clay since I was a small child. I also have been a weaver at times, so I decided to try weaving clay.

A set of ceramic coasters became that household object that I knew was missing in my life.

Illustrations of knobs.

Drawing on experiences in Italy, I have made several versions of candle holders, including a candelabra for multiple taper candles. The form is composed of a group of intersecting tubes that is finished with a floor, foot, and added rims.

To discuss selling and connecting with customers via social media we must backtrack to the beginning steps to streamline this process.

We do the practice, or we don’t achieve the dream. And any shortcuts rarely, if ever, deliver what they promise.

The unified goal of my work is to create an intriguing surface that can give people a moment of escape from all the things that we process in our day-to-day lives.

Ceramic surfaces have captured my interest from the very beginning of my clay journey. The merging of imagery and form is a limitless exploration of ceramic materials.

Every aspect of our lives feeds into the other. What is it that inspires us? How did the breakfast you made and ate this morning affect your mood and physicality later in the day?

Slab building generates a lot of waste and like working with fabric, I came across the problem of what to do with my scraps. My dessert plate design was created to use up the slab remnants and to reduce the need to reclaim.

I enjoy the fun challenge of trying to design tableware that is not only functional but is also still exciting and funky enough to want to save for special occasions.