I produce quality stoneware pottery of all sizes and shapes, from small cups to large vases. Each pot begins as a lump of clay and must be shaped and molded to the perfect form before I will move forward with it into a finished pot. Smaller pieces are often created with function at the foremost thought, but receive the same attention to detail and care in decoration as my larger fine art pieces. I approach larger vessels as challenges – larger surfaces waiting for my mark, works of substance.
I approach each thrown pot as a medium for expression through my use of decorative carving and colored slips. My decorative work is entirely freeform. Through my decoration I try to capture natural movement along the surface of the pot in lines and gestures that compliment the form and nature of the piece. These gestures often reflect bonds that exist between the clay and the natural world – suggestions, rather than representations, of flora and fauna, earth and water.
For inspiration in form and style, I draw from rich ceramic traditions of the American Southwest, East Asia, as well as the heritage of my mentors and teachers in the Upper Midwest. It is my desire to honor these traditions while exploring new territory in my own work.
Born and raised in north central Iowa, I was always vested in the arts spending most of my youth drawing and painting with the occasional foray into the third dimension. I studied at Luther College in Decorah, IA, where I nearly dropped my first pottery class after finding it intolerably frustrating. I eventually graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art with an emphasis in ceramics. I further developed my personal style and practices for two years as a member of the Northern Colorado Pottery Guild in Fort Collins, CO. In 2010 I established my first home studio in Pierre, SD.
