“It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.”   --Van Gogh

 

“My thoughts are varied, my interests eclectic,” I say as a way of explaining my art as well as my life.  I'm a maker—I make pottery, paintings, projects of all sorts, a good meal, memories, I like to make a difference and I enjoy making smiles.

 

​I tend toward a representational-style when painting with watercolor. Something from sketches and photographs I've taken while out and about in the world, or from combining images from multiple sources.  They must bring joy, maybe a smile and a memory.  I'll be working with them for a while. 

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​Using alcohol inks is a different story. They are an explosion of color and energy.  They are an expression of the beauty that can be when control is abandoned.

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​My pottery is also varied.  I throw pieces on a potters’ wheel, as well as do hand building, sometimes both on the same piece. Some are glazed in a modest style; others are embellished with patterns, pictures or symbols painted in slips, engobes, or underglazes.  The high-fired (over 2300 degrees) pieces are oven safe, microwave and dishwasher safe, making them very user friendly.

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​Another ceramic style is the low-fired (1500 degrees) technique of Raku.  Pieces are taken from an outdoor kiln while still white hot and thrust into closed cans where smoke seeps into cracks in the glaze to leave a blackened effect in contrast to the glaze colors.    I use a variety of underglazes and stains with a crackle glaze finish.  The serendipity of the crackle adds to the individualized character of each piece.