Pottery is functional art to use and enjoy every day. As the great potter Michael Cardew once said: “Machine-made pots, though practical and functional, often fail to feed the human spirit.”

I can hardly remember a time when I did not make pottery. My hands have been in clay since I was 16, when I dropped Chemistry and as luck would have it, the only other class available was Ceramics. My hands have been in the mucky stuff since, and I can’t imagine a time when they will not be.

I am a functional potter and I strive to make art available to and affordable for all people. Art and good craftsmanship should not be restricted to the wealthy. It may not seem like much, but cooking in and eating off handmade pottery is so much more of an enjoyable experience for me than eating off plastic or mass-produced ware. There is a connection between the user and the maker, human hand to human hand that is exciting to me and fuels my passion to create in clay.

Many things and people influence my work consciously and subconsciously. My pottery has always reflected my environment to some degree, as I feel it should. I am fairly new to Alaska, having lived here in Juneau for 3 years. I moved from the desert of Nevada so the water is ever-present in my thoughts, and I am co-owner of a boat for the first time in my life. I am using porcelain clay and have developed a new body of glazes to compliment my new design ideas. These pots have been fun to make and hopefully will make you smile and have fun interacting with my work.

Some 30 years ago I jotted this in my journal and it is still true today:

Some may call it dirt

Some dismiss it- mud

No matter what you call it

Clay is in my blood

Yes, clay is in my blood.