Artist Statement

Clay is a way of life. Working with my hands as well as my head & heart is my secret to a happy life. All my life experiences provide a rich source for me as an artist to draw upon.

My clay journey began with mud pies in Kansas, continued at Stanford University where I majored in Japanese Culture to prepare for an apprenticeship, then to Japan where I overcame the challenges of being a female & a foreign apprentice there, to Hong Kong where I taught at the Hong Kong Polytechnic College & opened my own first studio, and led to New York, where I've taught and made ceramics since 1984. My work is primarily wheel thrown & functional with a sculptural sensibility. I enjoy pushing clay & myself to the limit, letting clay be clay, making simple large forms that are both graceful & powerful, glazed to accentuate the movement & serendipity inherent in the firing process.

I find teaching to be a meaningful way to pay forward the skills & love of clay given to me over the years.