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I grew up in a household that valued working with its hands; creating “something out of nothing”, as my mother would say, and I find great pleasure in the routines, rhythms and physical work of making pots. For me, it is the perfect marriage between idea and action. Working from the long tradition of studio and folk potters, I passionately pursue the good individual pot that only comes from working in a series of related forms over time.
An inveterate arranger, I see the world around me through the lens of composition and relationships as visual components interact with each other to create a pleasing whole. That arranging process is similar to how I approach making pots. I turn my lens on the clay components and work toward a balance between the honest, sometimes unmannered lines of construction and the more formal considerations of functional, organic forms that have generous lips, handles and feet.
Working with a limited palette of color, I predominantly use terra sigillatas and amber glaze over white slip. Black, green or turquoise may accent and bridge the interior and exterior surfaces, often in the form of dots or lines. Simple, elemental surface design has unending possibilities to me. The colors I choose to work with, including the rich red of the earthenware clay, touch me deeply and draw references from the earth, nature and the Moroccan landscape. My influences run from North African and French cooking pots, the folk pots of Asia and the rich Mingei tradition that has surrounded me in Minnesota.
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