I live at the ocean and for my inspiration draw on the timeless nature of the fluid movements that surround me. The outside and inside surfaces of a vessel provide an intoxicating opportunity to convey the constant dynamic movement I see in the sea and the air and the sand. This constant breathing of the environment as symbol carries a meaning to our lives, which is much beyond words.



Clay is the material in which I have chosen to work. Clay is a primal substance. It is the ground we walk on. In a sense it is the stuff of all creation. Pottery making is a process dating back to the dawn of time. It is earth and water air and fire. I often think of the story in Genesis where God makes a man out of the clay of the earth and breathes spirit into his lungs. In a very real sense through the process of pottery making the clay retains the touch and breath of the potter. Touch the pot and in some sense you are touching the potter.

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To me this process is pure magic. I am trying to capture and share the music I see within the things around me. I want to celebrate both the ancient nature of this art and my response to the multifaceted world. I am trying to capture the music within the object.  I want to celebrate things that are refined and smooth and coarse and unrefined. Surface texture and decoration are important elements in my work. I impress and inlay, carve and mark with brushes made from animal hair. The result is sometimes ornate and sometime quite plain; keeping in mind that no texture is also texture, but it all reflects the sun and sand and stones and wind and sea.



After all is said, it is a serving bowl or a cup. It holds our vegetables and our mashed potatoes; it holds our morning coffee, our evening tea or wine shared with friends. It sits in the center of our gatherings of family and friends. It is itself the unity between and among us. Or it may serve as a decoration creating a certain feeling in our living room. It is in these uses, the presence of these objects in our lives,  that these stone objects are given life.