About My Work
A few answers to common questions to give you a better idea of how my pottery is made:
What are your influences and inspirations ?
“ I am of course inspired by nature but am also inspired and influenced by artists of many mediums. I love to study the work of 19th century illustrators along with countless pattern designers, fabric designers, sculptors, ceramic artists, potters, painters, printmakers, and tattoo artists from many cultures around the world.
I love to create bold patterns that flow across and around the surface of a pot. I’m drawn to strong lines and love to create whimsy in my artwork. I like exploring the negative space in design and play with opposites in my work: negative and positive, black and white, thin and thick. I also work to create forms that are not just a canvas for my designs but have a movement and flow all their own. It’s important to me that the imagery works with the design of the pot. The two need to marry in order to meld with each other.”
How is your work made and what is it made of?
“ I create elegant forms thrown on the wheel. Some wheel-thrown forms are altered by hand after throwing the vessel and I also hand-build some plates and platters on a form. My clay body of choice is B Clay from Continental Clay. B Clay is a premium porcelain-stoneware blend (without grog) and has a wonderfully smooth surface.”
These are the steps:
Form the shape by throwing clay on the wheel.
Once the clay is leather hard, cover the exterior in underglaze.
Carve away the negative spaces using the Sgraffito technique.
Bisque fire the piece. The main bisque firing stage involves heating the kiln to a specific temperature range, typically between 1650-1940°F (900-1060°C), for several hours. This critical step allows the clay to undergo chemical changes, resulting in hardened and durable pottery with a porous surface suitable for absorbing glazes.
Hand paint glaze on the exterior and rim or lip of the piece. Most glazes require three to four coats.
The piece is then fired in an electric kiln to cone 6 which refers to the medium temperature oxidation range (or middle fire) that most potters work in using electric kilns. Mid-Range Pottery, Cone 5-6, is fired typically between 2,100°F and 2,300°F (1,150°C to 1,260°C).
Why don’t you glaze more of the outside?
“ While I always glaze the interior of my work, I often leave the exterior un-glazed and hand sanded to an eggshell finish.
The tactile quality of the tool marks begs to be touched. I love to see a person pick up my work and feel the surface for the first time. There is always that moment where they hug the piece in their hands; usually they draw it to their chest and smile at the feel of the piece.
I tell people to touch the work - it feels wonderful, and draws them into the experience, not just visually but through its tactile quality. “