My ceramic works are influenced by European and Middle Eastern pottery traditions from the 13th through the 18th centuries. Both “peasant” and “palace” pots inspire me. In the former it is the casual, perhaps careless, result that excites me: the drip of 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, the elaborate rendering of form and surface fuels my imagination. Early English slipware, Delftware, maiolica and Middle Eastern earthenware are sources I refer to often.

Red earthenware clay is found along riverbanks, canyons and in the foothills of mountains and has been used by peasant potters for thousands of years. I am attached to red earthenware clay (terracotta) and low-fired technologies as symbols of my heritage. My roots are European and peasant. I like to imagine a potter ancestor in Luxembourg or Wiltshire pouring slip  (a liquid form of clay, commonly white, used as a simple way to achieve contrast) on his earthenware charger, decorating it with the details of some local or family event, sprinkling on the lead oxide 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.