Ghost Ship Gallery

Working with clay, I am fascinated by certain forms, movement, and pattern, fusing all three into both the shape of the piece and its decoration. Imagery and the relationship of images on the surface of the piece are my main focus. The greatest source of inspiration for my drawings are the exquisite, funny animals, both real and imagined, on Mimbres pots from the American Southwest. Cave painting of France and Spain as well as stone carvings of the Inuit people in Canada are also strong influences. My hope is to incorporate the life and spirit of all these elements into my own work. My functional pots are porcelain or stoneware, wheel-thrown or handbuilt. Designs are created with glazes and a wax resist technique similar to batik or a scrafitto technique in which the image is etched through black slip to the white clay beneath. The sculptures are handbuilt earthenware, brushed with terra sigillata and fired in sawdust.