Artist Statement

I came to clay through function. The connection that my work has between myself and the user is an important bond that I keep in mind with every piece that I make. I started off making work on the wheel but I gravitated to working primarily by hand-building. I found that this process was more visceral and made the most sense to me. I enjoy the presence of my hand in the marks that I can create through hand building that I was not able to achieve on the wheel. I often work in multiples and explore different arrangements of functional pieces to give them new and potentially more powerful context. Having an installation of hundreds of vases, for example, has a completely different meaning than one vase standing on its own. Through touching clay I am able to feel more focused, calm and at ease. Clay has helped me with my own struggles in life such as recovery from addiction, anxiety, and other personal health conditions.

In addition to ceramics, I use photography as a way to pay closer attention to my surroundings. It gives me the ability to stop and appreciate life more deeply. My photography commonly features old buildings, patterns, weathering and nature.