It's very satisfying to have found clay.
At some point my hands separate from my brain and I just know what to do.
I know that from experience when I make a rice bowl and I've made hundreds of them,
that this one is going to be the same.
And my hands seem to know what the inside shape is so that when I trim it,
the outside shape matches the inside shape.
I'm part of a long tradition of crafts for function.
My training taught me to make multiples of each object
so that my process is that I will sit down and make a dozen mugs or a dozen bowls.
Clay is really one of the most basic materials.
It comes from the ground. It's dirt.
My teacher used to say that just because it comes from the ground,
it doesn't mean we should make dumpy pots.
So my aesthetic often includes a raised foot which comes from the Japanese style.
But I think it makes the pots look more elegant and it elevates them.
Starting in college and then through my apprenticeship,
I've been making pottery for 40 years.
One of the things that satisfies me the most about making my work
is the response of people who have my pottery,
who use it and love it and make it a part of their life.
The production cycle can be anything from a few weeks to a month.
I can spend a week mixing glazes
because there are many steps to sieving them, measuring them out,
getting them ready for production, testing them.
Every time I open the kiln, it's like magic.
I have certain glazes and combinations that are pretty predictable
and happen the same way each time,
but there are always some surprises
and it's a little bit like Christmas morning when you open the kiln.
My goal is that people take my pottery into their home
and become part of the ritual of their daily life.
Thank you.
