Unique slip-carved functional stoneware and porcelain pottery

 Artist’s Statement

 My work has been described as drawings with a function.  My forms are simple—mugs, bowls, platters, pitchers and plates—and serve as ground for the fun part: sgraffito, the technique of scratching or drawing and carving into the clay.  This centuries-old decorative process provides textural and visual contrast which appeals to my senses of touch and sight.  I like to work in both stoneware and porcelain, and I enjoy both throwing and hand-building. My designs are carved through slips colored by stains or oxides, and glazed in either transparent for oxidation or celadon tones for reduction atmospheres.  I appreciate the different qualities of firing in oxidation and reduction atmospheres, the former for its dependable, predictable results and the latter for the magic of its inconsistencies. 

 I am influenced by many cultures and sources, from medieval architectural ornament and stained glass, interlacing Celtic design, wallpaper patterns of the English Arts & Crafts Movement, naïf illustrations in early 20^th century children’s books, 11^th century Chinese carved vessels… to the things I see out my window.   My designs are inspired by nature, but I am not interested in depicting accurate representations of a particular species of leaf, bird, flower, or shell.  Rather, I express the essential impression of my subject.  My renderings of these classic motifs are stylized and almost cartoon-like, transforming timeless icons into designs that are whimsical and fresh.

 I am a newcomer to pottery, but a lifelong artist, with experience as a painter, illustrator, and graphic designer, as well as a background in art history and the history of architecture.  (BA Harvard 1985)