Artist Statement: I grew up in the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado and have been making pots in the Pikes Peak Region for over 30 years. I fell in love with clay while spending a year studying in Oregon in 1969-70. I took a beginning clay class and once I stuck my fingers into the clay it was love at first touch. The more classes I took the more I enjoyed it and I decided that I would like to make my living making pots. The sensual and responsive qualities of clay combined with the meditative aspect of working on the wheel can make for a very satisfying and calming experience.
I work primarily in wheel thrown stoneware and enjoy making pots for people to use in their daily rituals. For the last few years, I have also been experimenting in low-fire, decorative forms utilizing a variety of techniques such as sawdust, smoked, and horsehair firings. This has presented an interesting contrast to my stoneware work because the results are much less predictable.
I have been the pottery instructor at Colorado College in Colorado Springs since 2000. This has been a rewarding and challenging experience and being around college students has encouraged me to approach my own work in a looser way.