My work is influenced by various European pottery traditions since the 13th century. Both 'peasant' and 'palace' pots inspire me. In the former it is the necessity for efficiency that determined a casual, perhaps careless, result that excites me. The drip of slip or glaze, the impurities in the clay, the globs of kiln-shelf refuse fused to the bottom; these 'imperfections' often enliven the pot in ways that take my breath away. In the latter it is the elaborate rendering of form and surface that grabs my imagination. Early English slipware, Delftware, and Renaissance Maiolica are sources I refer to routinely.

My first experiments in earthenware took place at the University of Michigan where I was an undergraduate in the 60s. At that time, low-fire was the way to glaze if you wanted saturated colors like intense yellows, reds, and oranges.  I have stuck with earthenware and now I am attached to it as symbol. My own roots are European and definitely 'peasant'. I like to imagine a potter ancestor in Luxembourg or Wiltshire pouring slip on his earthenware charger, decorating it with the details of some local or family event, sprinkling on the lead glaze (oh lead….) and firing it in the most simple manner. He was an essential member of his community whereas I am more at home in the art world. But he and I are alike in our interest in the more mundane aspects of life; daily routines, and family celebrations. Like him, I hope the plates, platters, bowls and other service pieces I make enhance those routines and rituals and that they add a touch of grace to the domestic arena.