I've always been interested in making things. My latest passion (read: I don't think about anything else) is CLAY.
Growing up in Brooklyn, I always dabbled in various creative pursuits on my own. I enjoyed drawing and painting, though I had no formal art education until college. I learned to play piano and experimented with the guitar. I learned how to sew, and taught myself how to knit. But I had always wanted to try my hand at pottery, specifically throwing on the wheel.
I took a ceramics class over a winter semester in college, and fell in love with it immediately. There is something about centering a lump of clay on a spinning wheel and forming it into an aesthetically pleasing and functional form that had me more than a little obsessed. But it was years before I had a chance to return to the potter’s wheel.
After college I started working in various areas of art and design. My 'real' jobs still include high school art teacher, freelance web designer, and co-owner of an art studio where I teach children and adults to paint and draw.
A few years ago, I finally joined a wheel throwing class at the Painted Pot in Brooklyn, but my jobs made it too difficult for me to continue attending the class. I decided if I wanted to continue pursuing my passion, it was time to buy a wheel and second hand kiln to call my own. I created a little ceramic area in one corner of the studio where I teach my private art classes.
This little ceramic studio inside an art studio has become my happy place. Throwing on the wheel is my meditation. No form is perfect, as they are each made with my own two hands, and the imperfections contribute to their beauty. One of the most special things about owning something handmade is the ability to sense the artist’s hand in the piece.
I hope my ceramic pieces are cherished by those who receive them and that they add an element of beauty to their new happy homes.
