vases •
vessels •
teapots & pitchers
tiles •
plates •
urns
Gallery: The Process
My ceramic work is primarily hand built from white earthenware clay, while some vessel forms and teapots are constructed with high fire porcelain. Working from slabs, and occasionally wheel-thrown pieces, each form is varied in size, shape, and embellishment, with intentional asymmetry and uneven edges ending the vessel’s top. After the pieces dry, the work is first fired or bisqued to cone 04 (1922ºF).
At this stage, my efforts are devoted to drawing and painting each vessel with a variety of images, such as faces, figures, animals, elements of nature, architecture, and landscapes. All of the images and compositions are freely drawn from a variety of accumulated subject matter—including photos, sketches or often a live model—which renders each piece unique in its spontaneity and thematic content.
The surface imagery is created with underglazes: slip trailing to compose line and definition, layered sponging and brushwork to achieve depth and tonality, and sgrafitto (the carving through a dark stain or underglaze to reveal the clay body underneath), to create a woodcut type of effect.
Finally, the work receives a coating of clear glaze to seal the drawing surfaces before it goes through a second and final firing: earthenware vessels to cone 06 (1863ºF) and porcelain vessels to cone 10 (2300ºF).
The ceramic pieces shown are representative of current work. Inquiries about custom sizes, shapes, imagery, and palette are welcome.