My pots are primarily functional, but
are not limited by this premise. I draw on the many historical
precendents that give a kind of permission to move away from "pure
function" occasionally to explore other avenues in the medium.
I do enjoy reacting to the invitation of the unadorned surface
of my pots as they are made, and this has been true since finding
my "hand" with brush and color or with tools and the
soft clay. Whatever the degree of involvement with decoration,
I try to accomplish a harmonious blending of the intended use
of the pot with its presence visually. A portion of my work time
is devoted to making ceramic forms that are not functional in
the traditional sense. My wall pieces of the early 1990's explored
the realm of drawing and painting often deriving their forms and
colors from natural landscape and sky themes. Later works explored
the concepts of time and nature (tree forms, leaves) and used
elements from architecture (the column) to reflect on man's impact
on nature. Present works for the wall deal with personal memories
and focus on a collage approach to bring together such diverse
elements as mantles, fruit, pottery forms, leaves and letters
into a harmonious grouping reminiscent of still life compositions.
