STATEMENT___________________

Pottery

My work is about the rituals, and the making, of domestic pottery. I think about objects, how we desire them, surrounding ourselves by stuff to compose the settings for our lives; how we use things to represent our identity.

An object as simple as a bowl, or a platter, can encapsulate these ideas. They adorn the home, before being pushed into service in both private and social rituals.

The pots I craft represent my place in the world, their physicality assembles a sense of the lineage I feel lacking. I am influenced by a myriad of forms and processes I encounter through experience and research: from traditional crafts to industrial ceramics to contemporary paintings. These combined influences narrate a  cultural identity that is evidenced within the details of each piece.

The hidden areas- the back of a platter, the bottom of the foot, contain as much, or more, detail and consideration as the exposed surface. This creates a layering of information not readily accessible , which must be discovered over time, through interaction with each piece: while viewed on a wall, used to sip coffee from, or when being washed. This experience of progressive intimacy with an object is common with well used functional pots, and implied in non-utilitarian ones.

The direct, and seemingly casual manner in which I handle clay and glaze intersects with molded forms, stamps and decals; juxtaposing soft and hard edges, loose and formal lines. This contrast creates a tension between mass and delicacy, refinement and physicality, that I associate with elements of my own personality.

By placing the objects I make into your environment; a restaurant, a gallery, your home, I feel included in your life, invited to dinner, if only to serve. Somehow I’ve gained a greater contact with the world.