Statement

I make pottery for daily use. Looking to the simplicity and strength of natural forms and patterns for direction, I make pots in a way that shows the marks from my hands, from the tools I use, and from the fire that transforms mud to pottery. I want the hardy, organic feel and appearance of the pottery to be as grounding to the pot’s eventual owner as it is to me when I make it.

Biography

I have been making functional pottery for nearly 20 years and continue to be captivated by the possibilities in even the simplest cup. The process itself is a source of endless fascination, from slow moving treadle wheel and the application of silky slips and glazes to the soda firing that always surprises. All of this culminates in meals with friends and family when the pots take their place at the table, quiet and lively.

I grew up in a military family where we lived and traveled in the South Pacific and Asia. My mother is a painter and my parents filled our house with artwork from Asian countries and indigenous peoples from the small South Pacific islands. The aesthetics of those objects stuck with me and I enjoy seeing them show up in my work.

I started my pottery career in Durham NC where I took classes and workshops, made pottery, and fired as many kinds of kilns as I could get my hands on. Classes at the Penland School of Craft were inspirational. I spent many years selling pottery at craft fairs, galleries, and home sales and in 2002 I built my studio near Pittsboro, NC. Since then, I have exhibited and sold pottery locally and throughout the US.

I am inspired by the world of natural forms and patterns, and by the work of other potters and teachers local and distant, those at The Penland School in particular, and by all the world’s pots that I have seen, held, or enjoyed using. My journey with clay happily continues in the Chatham County forest where I live with my wife, two sons, three cats, six chickens, and a fruit orchard.