Through my artwork, I explore societal themes and the variability of form and space. My most recent project, “Exploration of “Family” Through Ceramic Vessels”, consists of 10 sets that each contain 3 to 6 pieces thrown on the potter’s wheel. Through the variety of colors, forms, and textures of the sets, I reject the idea of “Family” as a strict construct and embrace it instead as a fluid label. One set from the project, “The Black Sheep”, explores the American idiom that describes a family member who does not seem to fit in. Through my previous pieces, I have explored the idea of American Consumerism by creating pieces representative of food with the label “Zulu”. The pieces represent the pervasion of consumerism, and they convey the irony and dual-significance of a “consumer product.” For projects that explore societal themes, I draw inspiration from contemporary culture.

 

Some of my other pieces simply visualize and explore organic and abstract forms through pottery vessels. When creating such pieces, I draw inspiration from nature.“Rose Granite” consists of two pieces that were thrown on the wheel separately then slip-and-scored together. The upper and bottom parts of the piece create a contrast through their forms but are unified by color. The upper part of “Rose Granite” was inspired by the form of an onion.

 

The main medium that I use when creating ceramics is stoneware clay, though I occasionally use porcelain and raku clay as well. When creating my pieces, I use the potter’s wheel as well as pinch, coil, and slab methods. The process of creating ceramics allows me to be wholly connected to the artistic process because it requires a physical and mental connection to the medium.