The Tidal Series evokes memories of the joyful, welcome solitude of walking the beach. Looking at rocks collected by nature's forces, their geological compositions and randomly created variations of surface patinas all evoke the passage of time and the wonder of creation. Reminiscent of flora washed over the surfaces drying in the weather, crustaceans anchored or sometimes the shadows of their passing imprints, the forms and glazed surfaces evoke these memories. How evocative and beautiful is the simply, complex wonder the natural environment expresses. To me it expresses the ephemeral nature of our lives in its subtle language channeled to our human spirit—the joy of wonder.
To create these inklings, I use a practice of pouring layers of glazes, allowing surfaces to mix and move thus creating a sense of water rushing over rocks together with brushed on surfaces of glazes some infused with crystals that develop patterns when melted in heat. Glazes flow over tiles impressed with beach rocks suggesting a hint of rocky surfaces, or over formed and fired rock constellations. With these glaze techniques I achieve abstracted paintings to realistic expressions on the ceramic surfaces. The work is meant to be shown on walls as installations while the rock formations may also be presented on horizontal surfaces such as tables and hearths.
Gathered Series
Reaching back into the ages, the Gathered Series, evokes ancient collections of glowing ova --the life force, hand-built bottles perhaps created to hold perfumes, oils, or wine; and budding pods, held in roughhewn wrought iron baskets as if collected for display, transport, or household -- then through the passage of time and turbulence, lost to the ages. The baskets appear hand forged, broken, and old, while merely made of clay and underglaze. The precious contents shimmer with coppery raku glazes combined with the alchemy of fire and the denial of oxygen, or electric kiln fired oxidation crystallin glazes -- like gems, collected preciously to preserve. Wrought, precious, and found project subtle narratives of past lives and lost civilizations dredged up for new eyes, value for the hands that made and collected them.
