my work has always been concerned with storytelling.

observations, feelings and experiences are the themes of my pieces. these very accessible topics include confinement, fertility, marriage, home ownership, anxiety and the difficulties of balancing a lifestyle that includes both children and art. I call these narrative
vessels “story pots.”

over the years I have appropriated symbols from various sources to use in my work. lizards, for example, are emblematic of dreams in native american culture. fish are a fertility symbol in christianity. other signs are more personal. frogs represent my home because my garden is often infested with frogs in the summer months. feet are a symbol of mobility in most cases, and hands represent the ability to do meaningful work.

my pots are thrown and altered or handbuilt in a cone 6 clay. all of the sculpture is done by hand, and refined in the leather hard stage. after bisque firing, I usually apply a cone 6 glaze to the interior of the vessel. it is important that my pieces are fired to cone 6 or cone 10 to improve their density and strength. the exterior surface is treated with mason stains and/or a combination of red iron oxide and barnard slip. some of the story pots are also painted with opaque watercolors after glaze firing. the watercolor surface is made permanent with a clear matte or gloss fixative. regardless of whether the vessel is stained or painted, my intention is for the warm color of the clay to show through.

it is important to me that my story pots are useful vessels. it seems fitting that while the narrative themes of these pots are about daily life, the pots themselves are useful in daily life as containers, so that they can hold souvenirs of our experiences as well as illustrate them.

my latest body of work reconciles my different incarnations as a ceramicist, a painter and a furniture maker with my interest in narrative art. my observations, feelings and experiences are the themes for these pieces, and they grow from the very real but very ordinary anxieties of parenthood, home ownership, work, marriage and fertility. my pieces are practical objects, meant to be approachable, accessible and functional. while the outside illustrates the themes of our daily lives, the pots are useful in their ability to hold souvenirs of our experiences.

most recently fertility has emerged as a key issue in my work as
 I have just had a third child. the idea of abundance, the mystery of nature, the elusive good night’s sleep and the continued juggling
act of being an artist and a working mother are the themes of my work now.

 I have appropriated a variety of images that I use as symbols for the narrative content of my work. most of these symbols, but not all, are based on my personal observations. sunflowers, for example, are symbols of faith. having grown sunflowers in my own garden I know that they are a bit of an eyesore until the moment they flower, yielding so many seeds. chameleons have become my heroes because of their ability to quickly adapt to changing situations. rabbits and fish are symbols of fertility and abundance, and frogs represent my home. I also have an interest in common household objects because of their autobiographical value. boxes, shoes, books and garbage are all used in my narratives.

my sculptures are all fired to cone 6 to improve density and strength. the exterior surface is treated with stains or underglazes and/or painted with opaque watercolors. most finished pieces are sealed with an acrylic fixative. regardless of whether the vessel is stained or painted, my intention is for the warm color of the clay to show through. skin, earth and clay are all shades of brown and their foundation in this common color connects and unifies them.