Teacher. Illustrator. Ceramic artist. Homebody.
I delight in returning home to our farm each evening, just as swallows return to the barn after migration. Although my nest is not made of mud pellets, I find working in clay most gratifying. I have always loved playing in the mud. I would prefer to stay inside my own head, however, that solitude is often interrupted by a world of chatter, the bombardment of the media. Impossible to make sense of it all, I attempt to make amends with it. I am drawn to the personal and emotional aspect of social issues with a heightened awareness that allows me to connect thoughts that may previously have been ignored. My process is instinctive, employing a gritty clay body in which layers of underglaze are worked into the damp surface and embellished with line drawings creating a narrative. The work is raw and unsentimental, as the texture often implies, contrasting a sense of hope as brighter color becomes symbolic. As a teacher, I have enjoyed guiding young adults as they meld ideas into imagery. Their banter of possibilities and excitement of unexplored media has kept me fresh. In return, I offer them the opportunity to get their hands dirty, to have real, tangible experience. |
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