artist statement

I'm continually inspired by both the strength and vulnerability of clay, how it requires either a force or gentleness of hand at various stages. For the past year, I’ve been re-navigating this terrain of touch as I undergo a major shift from working on the wheel to hand building due to chronic pain from bone spurs in my shoulder and arthritis in my neck. At first, this prospect of change felt daunting, but now it feels exciting to see my work shifting. New forms are making their way into my repertoire and some older forms are retiring. I’m enjoying my explorations with custom templates for slab building, and have fallen in love with coil building and pinching. These new processes of making are engaging me in unexpected ways. There’s an appealing immediacy when adding volume to soft slabs, and watching a form take shape slowly as each coil is added, rather than throwing the form quickly on the wheel, invites me to be present to each part of the pot.

As always, my goal with the forms I create is to convey movement, generosity, and softness. Scalloped edges and undulating rims invite the eye to travel across each piece. Variations in the surface from pinching and coiling are intentional and invite the user to interact with the marks from my hands, which are unique to each piece. I use a thin white slip as the background for my surface decoration, then apply layers of colored slips portraying flowers and branches that wrap around the rims of bowls and feet of plates. At each step of the making process, I’m striving to make work that reflects a collaboration with the materials—allowing evidence of process such as a brush mark, fingerprint, or drip to become an active part of the piece. I love seeing the dark clay body peeking through the layers, the earthenware always having a voice in the final product. I’m excited about a new satin glaze recipe I’ve recently started working with that pulls on certain slip colors, resulting in more depth and softness to the finished work.

I believe that pottery made by hand with thoughtfulness and care can elevate simple day-to-day moments we might otherwise take for granted, like sitting quietly with a cup of coffee or serving a meal to beloved friends. Unlike commercially made pottery, items made by hand offer a direct human connection. When interacting with my pots, you’ll find evidence of this: my fingerprint visible somewhere on the surface, the way I considered the lip on a mug or the comfort of a handle, the expressive quality of a brushstroke. Through such considerations—just as I’m experiencing through making the work—I hope my pottery will serve as an invitation to slow down, to drop into the present moment more fully.

Crafted by hand in my home studio in Kalamazoo, Michigan, my durable pots can stand up to daily use. Everything is food safe, lead-free, and microwave and dishwasher friendly. In addition to working as a studio potter, I teach at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts in Kalamazoo, Michigan, offer workshops nationally, and am a regular contributor to Ceramics Monthly. In 2022, I became a member of Artaxis, a peer-reviewed source of international artwork in ceramics and sculpture.