My current functional ceramics are deeply rooted in traditional vessel forms—ranging from daily ware like plates, bowls, and mugs to jars, vases, and baskets—but I intentionally push each piece so it feels alive, fluid, and unexpected. Once a form is made, I carve or cut away parts of the clay to create depth or movement, using handmade stamps and found tools to alter the surface. These marks and textures change how the glaze behaves, making it pool, flow, or break in ways that add energy to the piece. Finally, there is the unpredictable nature of firing in a gas kiln; I plan the surfaces and glazes, but the final depth and texture that happens in the kiln is part of the process that I do not fully control. It is then that my more artistic, sculptural pieces—like large jars, vases, and baskets—are matched with driftwood or rattan weavings to make handles.

"Every pot carries the earth it came from, the hands that shaped it, the fire that changed it." After fifty years, I still find this alchemy miraculous—it is what keeps me coming back to the wheel, to the flame, and to the simple act of forming something lasting from raw earth. I incorporate natural elements like rattan and driftwood, which bring an organic contrast to the ceramic form, adding texture, warmth, and connecting the clay back to the environment it came from. The contrast between fired permanence and natural impermanence fascinates me, appealing to both the sense of touch and the visual beauty of the form.