About Me
I love to have my hands in clay!
Although I have come to pottery later in life than most, what I lack in years of experience, I make up for in enthusiasm and curiosity.
My studio is located off the garage of my home on the Outer Banks, and I go there to refresh my mind and ease stress. It's my space, and my creative self resides there. I love to open the door to the outside, let the ocean breezes flow through the studio, and listen to NPR or jazz and classical music while I work. It's my refuge.
I came to clay rather serendipitously, and from a series of three semi-private lessons with a local potter, I have developed a style I can call my own through reading, workshops, and experimentation. Because I'm not a production potter, I have the luxury of being free to try new things, to fail, and to try again.
I use a combination of techniques: throwing (for mugs, vases, bowls), and press and drape molding (for square plates and platters).
I make my own plaster molds, and use a small slab roller to prepare the clay for draping over or pressing into the mold.
Once the pieces are "leather hard", I either stamp and carve the rims (using stamps made of bisqued clay), or I add stamped "sprigs" to add texture and interest. In this way I can produce one-of-a-kind pieces despite the fact that the basic shape is created in a mold.
While throwing on the wheel has a meditative quality, I also enjoy the meditative process of carving the rims and refining the edges, and I think it gives my plates and platters a somewhat "whimsical" character.
Due to time and space limitations, I use commercial glazes on my pots, but I enjoy the process of combining glazes to get unique results. I fire all my work to Cone 6 oxidation in my electric kiln.
I like bright colors and glazes that drip and run to produce dynamic surfaces.
When I'm not in my studio making pots, I make a living as a house designer and a web site designer. I'm also a musician, and I sing, direct, and arrange music for a small a cappella group on the Outer Banks.
But my spiritual home is on my yoga mat, and through the process of making pots, I try to bring prana into every piece I make.
Please look at the pots I have for sale, or let me know if there's something special I could make for you!