My ceramic works are typically small, private expressions of beauty found in line, form, and fastidiousness mixed with organic themes, liquidity, and understated surprises. The initial shapes and lines of my ceramic animal characters are informed by both my background in design and veterinary anatomy. Those that are functional jars are begun as wheel-thrown pieces, then additions are created that convey the animal type while remaining in balance with the jar shape. Part of their creation is tied up in being perceived, in theory, as “useful” - they are jars. They take up little space, generally have a low center of gravity, and can hold small items. Turning them into creatures, however, is often a direct rebellion against their usefulness and an embracing of the complexity and messiness of living things. In my desire to give them vitality, some have marked fragility that can lend existential questioning to their purpose -

They are art.

My love for color on form inspires both the type and technique of surface application of glazes, underglazes, slips, stains, etc. But it is my deep appreciation for character, including emotional expression, social connection, and the human-animal bond, that brings pieces to life. And I enjoy being able to hold all of these oxymoronic conflicts in one hand: as humans, we are all each a god of our own inner world.