Favorite tools in your toolbox: My homemade tools, ribs, and trimming tools.
Describe the first piece you made in clay that you thought had potential: I remember the first piece I wood fired. It had a wood ash and iron-saturated glaze interaction that amazed me. As a beginner, the reality was that its surface had beauty that overrepresented my abilities.
What are you inspired by? My vessels are inspired by industrial forms, contemporary iconic symbols, and my thoughts about our consumer culture. I find beauty in old industrial buildings, furnaces, bridges, and their related weathered surfaces.
What is your process for finding/designing new forms? As my mentor, Dan Anderson, said, “It’s all out there, you don’t have to make anything up, just observe well.” I look at the world, I draw, I test, I make, I evaluate, then repeat. This process will end when I do.
Who are your mentors? My university mentors were John Neely from Utah State University, as well as Dan Anderson and Paul Dresang from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Favorite piece in your ceramic collection: The impossible question. What comes to mind, and my latest acquisition, is a sculptural figurative head on a found object ‘scale’ by artist Richard W. James. An excellent trade.
Best piece of advice you ever received? My father showed me what it is to be a good person, to treat all people with respect, and to work hard to support those around you. His example, more than words, was worth more than anything I might have been told.
Best advice you can give to other potters? The sooner you connect your work to your beliefs, values, and personality, the sooner it becomes interesting to you, and, by extension, more interesting to those around you. Let go of the fear of failure and play while you can.
Describe your studio: My studio is a 24 × 16-foot (7.3 × 4.8-m) space with lots of light, including six windows. I built spaces for throwing, a large, fixed working counter, ware carts, a table that can roll, and a built-in desk for drawing and doing detailed work.
Best thing about your studio? After 18 years of only working at the university studio, having a place dedicated at home is a gift. The quiet, as well as having custom-built everything to my own habits and processes, is the best part of my studio.
Describe a typical day or session in the studio: I almost always start the day with a few sketches of the things I want to focus on. I will throw for a few hours and then attend to the prior day’s work. I vary activities over the course of the day to keep myself moving throughout the entire studio.
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Clay body: Cone-10 stoneware
Firing temperature: Cone 10–12
Atmosphere: Reduction
Surface treatment: Wood firing, reduction cooled
Forming method: Throwing and altering
Favorite tools in your toolbox: My homemade tools, ribs, and trimming tools.
Describe the first piece you made in clay that you thought had potential: I remember the first piece I wood fired. It had a wood ash and iron-saturated glaze interaction that amazed me. As a beginner, the reality was that its surface had beauty that overrepresented my abilities.
What are you inspired by? My vessels are inspired by industrial forms, contemporary iconic symbols, and my thoughts about our consumer culture. I find beauty in old industrial buildings, furnaces, bridges, and their related weathered surfaces.
What is your process for finding/designing new forms? As my mentor, Dan Anderson, said, “It’s all out there, you don’t have to make anything up, just observe well.” I look at the world, I draw, I test, I make, I evaluate, then repeat. This process will end when I do.
Who are your mentors? My university mentors were John Neely from Utah State University, as well as Dan Anderson and Paul Dresang from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
Favorite piece in your ceramic collection: The impossible question. What comes to mind, and my latest acquisition, is a sculptural figurative head on a found object ‘scale’ by artist Richard W. James. An excellent trade.
Best piece of advice you ever received? My father showed me what it is to be a good person, to treat all people with respect, and to work hard to support those around you. His example, more than words, was worth more than anything I might have been told.
Best advice you can give to other potters? The sooner you connect your work to your beliefs, values, and personality, the sooner it becomes interesting to you, and, by extension, more interesting to those around you. Let go of the fear of failure and play while you can.
Describe your studio: My studio is a 24 × 16-foot (7.3 × 4.8-m) space with lots of light, including six windows. I built spaces for throwing, a large, fixed working counter, ware carts, a table that can roll, and a built-in desk for drawing and doing detailed work.
Best thing about your studio? After 18 years of only working at the university studio, having a place dedicated at home is a gift. The quiet, as well as having custom-built everything to my own habits and processes, is the best part of my studio.
Describe a typical day or session in the studio: I almost always start the day with a few sketches of the things I want to focus on. I will throw for a few hours and then attend to the prior day’s work. I vary activities over the course of the day to keep myself moving throughout the entire studio.
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