Artist Statement

What and why I create pottery.

 It all comes down to the  instrument.

Pottery, for me, is another medium I use as an outlet for my creativity. It is also a practical way to share my art with other people so that hopefully they can enjoy it in everyday life.

I have an innate yearning to create something every day and have space and tools to do so across multiple platforms. Whether it be watercolors, sketching, multimedia, carving linoleum, or graphic design, it all leads me back to clay, and I can incorporate those ideas into it. As a medium of art, clay is a hands-on approach to sculpting everything I have done and continue to learn.

I make my pottery by using hand building and wheel throwing techniques. My surface designs are profoundly influenced by nature and design elements taken from other cultures and decades.

Each piece of my pottery is unique because of the detail I use in my surface designs. They are applied by free form hand carving (sgraffito), using stamps that I have made from clay or hand-cut linoleum, and I never throw the same form twice on the wheel. I embrace the contrast of textures in my pottery and the idea that imperfection is perfection, just as in nature.

I’m driven to create more pottery because of the limitless possibilities of usability and combinations of clay, glaze, and surface designs. When I make a batch of experimental pottery and how I envision it comes out like it should or even better, opening the kiln is more thrilling than any roller coaster or gift I could receive.

I’m inspired by the utilitarian use of Japanese pottery – the idea of how they embrace Wabi-sabi, accepting imperfections. Nature also inspires me through colors, shapes, and how it can adapt to any situation. I often reflect on those influences in my work.

When people see my pottery, I hope that they want to pick it up and enjoy the lightness, texture, and details in the design. I want my work to make them smile and enjoy it as often as I do making it.