I create high fire functional stoneware pottery that is an aesthetic blend of Japanese tea ceramics and American folk craft pottery. I studied both of these ceramic traditions while going to graduate school at the University of New Mexico. 

Love of history, culture, and a fascination with folk pottery traditions throughout the world are a constant wellspring of inspiration in my work.  Models, whimsical creations, curios, religious objects and historical pottery forms whose functional purpose is shrouded in the past are sources of creative exploration in my studio.

Potters have been given the job of producing hand crafted useful objects that are both beautiful and functional in the preparation and serving of food and beverages.  If done correctly the potters artistic creativity can imbue pots with more than pure function.  They can make work that allows feasts, parties and everyday meals to become fun and show off the artistic individuality of the user.   By drawing on the creative inspiration of potters from the past I want to create pots that not only serve food and drink but stimulate conversation, artistic appreciation, and create a sense of personal individuality with the user. 

Several times a year I fire my work in Anagama and Groundhog syle kilns in Taos New Mexico.   The pots are fired from five to ten days in these kilns, which use wood for fuel.   Flames from the burning wood, snake around and through the densely packed pottery creating eddies of flame and ash.  The patterns and behavior of this river of flame are similar to water flowing over rocks in a stream.  During the firing the flame and the melting wood ash produce effects ranging from subtle flashing marks to dramatic pools and drips of melted ash glaze.