I am looking forward to the BOSCO studio tour in October to share my explorations in the fascinating medium of clay. Clay is so responsive to the effort that shapes it, but it has its own character which always shines through.
I am focusing on making clay vessels that develop dimensions of complexity by building on materials, technique and heat. I throw terra cotta vessels on the wheel, burnish them, brush on white slip, and kiln-fire them with combustibles inside larger containers called saggars. The pots emerge with unique surface marks.
I am striving to generate perceptual space on these clay forms for engagement of imagination and enjoyment.
I first learrned to work with clay at a studio near UC Berkeley in California where I grew up. I also learned to garden at People's Park in Berkeley. College learning is not always just in the classroom; Both passions have accompanied me through my life.
After long travel to the tip of South America, my spouse John and I settled in SE Boise in a house on an acre of pasture and gardens. After some years, as I couldn't seem to get away from clay, we converted a grarage to a studio. I concentrated on developing skills and creativity and building a career during that time.
In 2004 we picked up stakes and went travelling. We visited and lived in locales foreign and domestic for almost a decade. I had several opportunities to work in ceramics studios during that time.
We returned to Boise in 2012, purchased a house, with a small yard this time, in SE Boise and built a studio that is ensconced in a vegetable and flower garden.
I work with various clays and firing temperatures. I focus on saggar-firing, but I make some high-fire functional pieces like garden corner posts when the mood strikes. I also do sculptures, of which many are birds.
