I was born in an out of the way, town in northern upstate New York, called Massena. I wasn’t introduced to art and ceramics until late in high school but knew immediately that it was what I wanted to do. I then went to Alfred University where I received my BFA in 2003. At Alfred I used my first handmade bowl and have been using and making pots ever since. They have become a part of my daily life, enriching even the most familiar of daily routines.
My work is about function and pattern. It is important for the pieces to be dynamic; to stand out in a world full of everyday objects but to also invite familiarity and intimate use. I am interested in the relationship between history, it’s grand tradition and our small everyday experiences.
I have always been an organizer. I’m attracted to brick buildings, tiled roofs and knit cloth. For similar reasons I find myself attracted to Islamic tile and pottery, Persian painting and historical architecture. The patterns on the surfaces of my work are influenced by this interest in symmetry and the organization of like pieces. At first the patterns were an answer to a question. How do I activate the surface, to make these understated yet elegant forms seem less static? Through the varying quality of a hand drawn line, repetition of shapes and the addition of bright colors, the comfortable forms become more engaging. It’s about bringing an everyday object to the foreground.