Artist Statement
Clay is my voice. I have found my identity and creativity by working with this material.
The story of clay is that of a once soft and malleable material, made hard through firing. I create work that tells this story; a focus on quickly made, deeply textured, and gestural forms. I intentionally leave pieces of trimmings, rough edges, and the evidence of construction. I want to preserve the memory of the once soft squishy clay, by leaving behind traces of my hand.
All of my work is fired in a wood burning kiln that is stoked with a community of people. The preparation and length of this process allows me to build relationships with other wood fire potters. Learning from others' experiences, techniques, and skills, makes each firing unique and memorable. Woodfiring expands the potential surfaces that I can achieve with clay, and allows me to give up some control to the process. It requires patience, and is labour intensive.
