I love to throw. Clay on the wheel feels like silk beneath my hands. Spinning nothing into something, it is as close to working magic as I ever expect to get. My aim is to create a pot that is visually and tactilely welcoming — one that works well and is a joy to hold and use.
I have worked in clay for over thirty years. In the early 1980s I received an AA in Production Crafts from Haywood Tech, and then moved to Creedmoor where I had a studio at Cedar Creek Gallery. After more than a decade as a studio potter, I moved away from pottery as my only means of support, but was never long without a small studio. In the past few years I have once again been working exclusively in clay.
Along the way I’ve worked with a number of inspiring potters including Sid Oakley, who not only had a magnificent vision, but made it manifest; Brad Tucker, my idea of the complete potter‚ creating the perfect balance of form, function, and surface; and, most recently, Siglinda Scarpa, who is a fearless woman and artist, and challenged me to take what I see around me and incorporate it into my pottery. Her influence is apparent in all the hand-building I do.
What the Guild offers me is the opportunity to participate fully in a local community of dedicated craftsmen and artists, and to be inspired and motivated to stretch my vision. What I offer the Guild is a pair of willing hands and time and enthusiasm to support and learn about the Chatham community of artists.
