Artist Statement
As a folklorist, I documented the cultural traditions that evolve across distance and time, but still carry the seeds of their origin. The ability to create with our hands is as old as humanity, and the passing on of those skills is a time honored obligation that links past, present and future.
My studio work is like the sourdough starter in a crock in my kitchen. The leaven has a history in another time and place, but over time my region's influence, my methods and materials make it uniquely my own.
I'm inspired by ancient pots and medieval illustrations, illuminated manuscripts and the sea monsters at the edge of old maps that designate the unexplored and unknown.
I am most content in wild places, inspired by wasp nests and mosses, forests and starry skies, and the amazing micro-aliens that turn up on a microscope slide when I study rain barrel or swamp water. What we love is often reflected in what we make and my work is no exception.
Teaching fine craft and bringing teachers and students together completes the circle.
