Pottery
My work is diverse reflecting the aesthetic influences of the many talented potter/artists I have studied under through the past 44 years of continuous learning. Each piece is formed altered, decorated, glazed and fired at my Bergen Park, Colorado studio.
A desire to create something with my hands and the complete immersion into an art form that diffuses the concerns of the daily business world were what first attracted me to ceramics. This attraction has grown into a passion for the process of making individual pieces that are mostly functional, and at times, purely decorative in nature.
My media is clay, a material of the earth, which I manipulate with my hands and a bit of soul. The fashioning of individual, functional and decorative clay vessels and forms requires dedication, commitment and discipline along with a joy and love for the entire creative process. If my work provides a sense of well being to you and communicates this life giving force, then I have accomplished my goal.
“In the beginning the potter hovers over a
formless mass, waters it and sets it spinning.
When the whirling clay is centered in the
potter’s hands there is stillness, which
bespeaks the quiet rest that precedes and
follows the work of creation. Body, soul and
spirit, earth, water, wind and fire are brought
into harmony. What was once a formless mass
is given shape by unifying encircling energy of
the creator in which the potter shares. Both
potter and pot are creatures and so we look
for perfection in neither. Only let each be a
movement.”
Author Unknown
Care for My Ceramic pieces
Functional Utilitarian pieces, i.e., Cups plates, platters bowls, vases, etc. intended for daily use:
These pieces are food safe, dishwasher and microwave safe and can be placed in the oven, but it is best to heat up the oven with the piece and its content in the oven first.
To test any piece for microwave use: Place the pottery piece and a glass full of water into the microwave side by side and power on for one minute. Only the glass of water should be hot, not the tested piece of pottery.
Majolica Ware:
These pieces are food safe, oven safe and dishwasher safe, but do not use in the microwave as my majolica pieces are made from earthenware clay, which has a very high content of iron for which it gets its red color.
Raku piece, Glazed Raku, Naked Raku, and Horsehair pieces:
These are non-functional in the traditional sense (yarn bowls excepted) are not food safe. They should be cleaned with clear water, either directly under the faucet or with a damp cloth. They are not dishwasher safe.