As an artist, the exploration of the role of handmade pottery in today’s world, influences the pieces I create. Industrialized ceramics begins to eliminate the need for handmade wares, so the potter has redefined his/her place in society by creating an artistic visual language through production of handmade vessels.

 

 Through striving to create a visual relationship I am able to capture the active participation between the viewer/user through clay allowing me to address this issue by emphasizing certain handmade qualities of wheel thrown pottery in a society driven by attraction to perfection.

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In using the pottery wheel for almost all of my artwork, I am able to express my love of the interaction between my fingers and forming of the clay. With a variety of handcrafted tools I have created, I am able to constantly explore ways to communicate the touch of my hand in each pot.  As Warren Mackenzie said, “The most important thing is communicating with the user.  It is only when the user feels the presence of the hand of the potter that communication truly exists.”

 

I received my BFA in Art Education with a focus in Ceramics from Metro State University in 2015. With over two decades experience in ceramics my work now is influenced by certain aspects of the natural world, like the wide variety of natural textures found in tree bark and color variations in wood grain. My passion is much more enthralled with historical potters that have translated nature’s influences through their work. In studying folk potters, like Bernard Leach, that were highly in tune with the natural world and the local community, I to have incorporated the work of contemporary potters through the continuation and use of these traditional techniques to develop my own voice through contemporary Ceramics.

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I am persistent in my exploration of custom glaze recipes at cone 10 gas firing and Raku firing. This persistence has sparked my love for how these glazes produce unpredictable rustic surfaces, while simultaneously creating possibilities for color diversity and vibrancy within my work. I also enjoy the contradiction of soft surfaces with varied textures, which encourage approachability towards each pot. I strive to produce colors and textures so enthralling they affect viewers unconsciously, sparking immediate attraction upon first glance.