POTTER
Functional Decorative Pottery For Home And Garden
Through the years I have dabbled at art pottery, worked seriously at high volume production, owned little kilns, big kilns, gas kilns, raku kilns, and electric kilns. I have mixed my own glazes from chemical formulas, and attended more shows than I can remember. Today, I “play in the clay” to my heart’s content, fashioning whatever I fancy, sharing my medium with my grandchildren and the neighbors, but all the while remaining passionate about process of working in cool, soft, pliable clay and the adrenal rush of opening the kiln to view the shining, colorful results of my handiwork.
My continual struggle is toward personal authenticity and congruency in my life:
- TO MELD MY PASSIONS OF GARDENING, COOKING, AND POTTERY MAKING
- TO FIND PEACE AND HARMONY IN MY DAILY EXISTENCE
- TO LISTEN TO MY OWN SMALL, STILL VOICE FOR FOCUS AND DIRECTION
- TO LIVE WELL, LAUGH OFTEN, AND LOVE MUCH
I think I've been a potter since I was about six years old, because I can remember trying to feed my siblings the little cakes and tarts I made from a mud puddle that formed from the cooler hose just outside the back door– of course they refused, but it did not dim my enthusiasm. Later on, in school, I loved the smell of the art room, and the feel of the soft plastic modeling clay we used to make temporary sculptures. Holding clay modeling sticks in my hand today transports me back to that messy, visually stimulating classroom.
In high school, a free semester offered me the opportunity to take an art class where I was introduced to hand building techniques in a more formal way. I was a prolific hand builder, but a power struggle ensued between the teacher and I because he insisted I work in several other mediums besides clay. He won, sort of, but I still don’t handle a brush or pen very well.
When the first baby arrived in the early 60’s I found an evening adult education class nearby to continue my creative expression in clay. It offered me a little weekly break from motherhood, and served to whet my whistle for future clay experiences. In the late 60’s I found an open studio where I could work two evenings a week while husband was traveling Soon I was ready to buy a kiln and step out on my own, working with Brownies and kids in the neighborhood, sharing the joys of cool squishy clay with them.
A move to AZ in the early 70's presented the opportunity to attend several semesters of ceramic classes at Glendale Community College under the tutelage of Robert Lundeen, the well known and highly regarded ceramics instructor there. Mr Lundeen led me to finding my passion, taught me the intricacies of the science of ceramic art, and guided me in honoring the quality of fine craftsmanship, for which I shall be forever grateful.
As the years have passed my work has ebbed and flowed, my designs have morphed from being highly controlled to more free flowing, spontaneous and organic. I cannot imagine life without clay.