The common denominator of my work is a clarity borne of complexity. My forms, while outwardly simple, derive from a basic foundation in physics and chemistry as well as artistic tradition. After working at a chemical company for years, I attended the College of Ceramics at Alfred University, studied in Japan with renowned Shigaraki artists, then at the Haystack Mountain School, Hood College and the Archie Bray Foundation. In 2019 I participated in the Haystack Mountain
School residency program. And my extensive international travels exposed me to a wealth of extraordinary ceramic art.
Along the way I developed a profound respect and appreciation for this ancient, enduring art form, as well as the technical challenges of ceramic materials. The depth and diversity of my ceramic studies have enabled me to incorporate a broad array of techniques and expression into my work. The fluidity of moist clay, its remarkable plasticity, delicacy, endurance and its unlimited potential for creating form, size, color, texture, visual temperature and tactile surface makes clay unparalleled as the material of choice for my work. I constantly experiment with new form and surface techniques and develop glazes to test in each firing.
My porcelains stretch the boundaries of the material to achieve elegant forms that have grace, balance and delicacy. My stoneware forms are bolder, less restrained, more highly textured. Both are heavily influenced by the Japanese techniques and aesthetic sensibilities that have most inspired me.
My ceramic sculptures project quiet beauty and power that derive from firmly grounded forms, clear, simple, fluid lines and minimally adorned surfaces. They frequently indulge in satirical whimsy by reflecting the cruelty and folly of the human condition. Many express my fascination with the astonishing power of the human mind to perceive facial images even when only the slightest suggestion of a face actually exists, a phenomenon which spans the boundaries of science and art.
My work has been exhibited in numerous museums and galleries in Japan, London and throughout the United States.