Process

My forms are coiled & pinched on a banding wheel. I love how the looseness and immediacy of the wet clay influences the shapes I end up making. I think of each piece as having its own unique personality and body language.

I use a dark clay body with a layer of lighter slip or terra sigillata overtop in order to create depth in the surface; I enjoy the way that the layer of slip or sigillata highlights my fingerprints and other process marks.

This layer of slip or sigillata also opens up playful possibilities with lines, which I draw directly into the clay. Drawing into the clay is an exercise in seeing: I try to use my lines to emphasize what is already going on in the form— corners, curves, volume.

I draw my pieces from observation once they exist. I find that drawing my forms gives me an opportunity to get to know them & learn from them. I often reference these drawings while making the next iterations.