Artist Statement 

        

          I am a ceramic artist who makes decorative, functional pieces.  Although I have always been interested in drawing, as soon as I touched and experienced clay I found the joy in making something that I could use.   From that point on, my mind switched from the world of 2D and went full swing into the world of 3D art.   Over the span of three years, I have watched and learned from several talented artists and developed skills of the trade as well as my own style.  Even though I loved working with clay but there was still a part of me that missed drawing; even now I doodle little landscapes in my notebooks and so I decided to incorporate them together.   

 

          I love the pale green and blue celadon work of China, Korea, and Japan.  By using such glazes on my carved pieces the glaze pools in the carvings accentuating them.  Lately I have become interested in Sumi ink paintings; using stains and slips, I paint over a white glaze background or on the blank piece itself, often with a botanical floral theme.   

 

          A contemporary American artist whom I admire and am inspired by is Molly Hatch.  Her ceramic work is functional and often decorated by designs influenced by 18th century European patterns.  She also creates landscapes and paintings using plates as her canvas.  I believe I gravitate toward her work because we have similar approaches.  I also use clay as a medium to make clean forms, with a smooth surface to receive my carvings and paintings and create functional pieces.  She has said that she loves the fact that people can use her creations; that a person can hold one of her mugs in their hands.  I like the idea that somewhere out there, someone is curled up under a blanket with one of my mugs, enjoying a hot beverage.