Welcome to my gallery and blog!
Clay has always fascinated me, its many colors and textures, the shapes you can create using it, even the squish of it in my hand. Hand-building coiled vases, slab tiles, planters, buttons, garden art and buttons all give me a chance to express this fascination in many different ways. I also find myself drawn to surface textures, so the impression of found objects such as rocks, leaves, or lace provide a wonderful starting point for finding just the right look for a piece. Glaze and oxide stains are fairly traditional ways of emphasizing or hiding textures, but I've also been playing with Terra sigillata. Terra sig. is a very fine slip about the consistency of milk that can be colored or the natural color of the clay, and it gives a beautiful subtle sheen that can be buffed to a luscious finish without looking glassy. Its a wonderful finish for pieces that are not fired all the way up because it leaves the surface more 'open' to absorb smoke and fire effects. Eventually I'll have some front page worthy pieces with this finish, but for the moment you can see some here in the gallery.
I am also fascinated by coils, for whatever reason. You'll see I have a lot of pieces using them in many different ways.
I am also fascinated by coils, for whatever reason. You'll see I have a lot of pieces using them in many different ways.