What inspires me? The layers of colors in clouds are a never-ending source of inspiration. So is moving water. Rivers, tides, snow falling, ski tracks, erosion, and shorelines all become edges, middles, textures, and colors I chase. Whether it shows up directly in my work or not, textural and temporal contrast grab me, from nature or from other art.
I strive for the feeling, both physical and spiritual, that these always moving and always changing things evoke.
I am drawn to contrast, changes in value, and a blend of detailed precision and expressive looseness, influenced by artists like Wayne Thiebaud, Gustave Caillebotte, R. David Wilson, Justin Lambert, Jack Troy, and Simon Levin. Atmospheric ceramics allows me to plan and design carefully while leaving my more spontaneous building process to remain visible and even be accentuated by the fluid and unpredictable nature of the firing. This is much like the natural force of rivers.
I also want to make things people love and use, things that become part of their everyday experience. They can be touched, held, drunk from or eaten out of, or just looked at to evoke their own memories of places, moments, or actions.
My life on rivers started my journey, and I want other people to be able to choose their own memories, ones I can put in my work for them. So I will custom design your pottery with rivers, lakes, shorelines, logos, or probably other things you might think of that I haven't yet.
Ask me if there's something you'd like etched onto some clay and I'd be happy to try.
