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My formal art training began in 1981 when I left my childhood home in West Virginia for art school. At that time, the only thing I could say with confidence was that I did not want to be a “Starving Artist". After 30 years of working in graphic design, I retired from the Corporate life in 2012 and entered a discovery phase of learning what type of artist I would now become.

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I came back to the mountains, not in West Virginia but in North Carolina. No matter the state, mountains feel like old friends, providing inspiration in the nature that surrounds me
 

Mother Nature is the queen of inspiration, efficiency, and beauty. As with the movement of a plant in the wind to spread seeds or the muscles in motion of a frog’s legs to escape trouble. I take cues from Mother Nature’s examples of practicality, which I strive to incorporate into each of my creations; developing my own glazes and designing pieces with individual form and function, practical and efficient in shape, and beautiful and intriguing to see. My work uses clay’s willingness to be transformed, in shape, texture and purpose.

 

As a child, I remember jumping in mud puddles, fascinated by the swirling mud beneath. Decades later, I find myself driven again to play in the mud with that child’s simple joy, but also with an experienced focus on form and function.

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