My experience in clay is idiosyncratic. From day one my training has been in Japanese techniques, culminating in the completion of a lengthy apprenticeship in Japan in 1999 and my return to the US. I work in a certain way drawing from a repertoire of traditional skills not familiar to my peers.

But in my work, there is another strong force which I think of as a kind of 'un-learning.' My urge to create pushes me to find something I can bring to the centuries of traditional skills that precede me, something spontaneous, relevant, current.

The tension between what I've learned and what I'm unlearning holds my work together. Through my training I learned a vocabulary in clay, and through my work now I try to communicate using this vocabulary.

Central to my work are the integrity and beauty of the materials, and the firing, which is done with wood using age-old techniques. The intensive wood-firing experience enhances the depth of the glaze colors, as well as the color of the clay bodies.

Pieces designed for daily use, the foundation of my work, often become components of installations designed for contemplation and display. I make simple forms - round objects and their endless variations, clay cubes that are mounted on the wall. I concentrate on basic shapes and their relationship to one another.

Pattern, visual rhythm, and the dynamic between pieces as they relate to one another and to the viewer motivate my work.

Thank you for the opportunity to share my work with you. This website is an online portfolio. Please check the "EVENTS" page for upcoming events, shows, and workshops, and visit our gallery if you are in the area. For a link to the gallery and other interesting places, please visit the "LINKS" page. Please contact me if you would like more information.