My love of form, function and design led me down a path to discover clay.  Strangely, what I have discovered  is that I am a "maker" and that the medium is not as important as the process of creating.

Clay does, however, satisfy my desire to create unique three-dimensional forms.  I find the coolness and tactile qualities of clay to be relaxing.  I love the elemental aspects of working in clay, as the process of creating each piece employs earth, water, air, and fire.  Wood firing has become my favorite type of firing because it imparts a "toastiness"  that cannot be achieved by any other firing technique. There are times when working in clay seems to be part magic,  part creativity, part chemistry, part alchemy, and sometimes, part dumb luck.

 I am deeply fascinated by  life's small daily rituals, from the rituals surrounding that  first cup of coffee to the vessels and ceramics that we use every day.  I am also profoundly interested in sacred rituals and the vessels which support them, such as  liturgical vessels and funerary urns. 

Art defines culture and communicates who we are. Among the most personal, yet enduring, are art forms created to memorialize the dead.  Personal memorial art has the added capacity to reflect something of an individual's character.   I strive to make my vessels as beautiful and unique as the person whose life I wish to honor.

Finally, I have translated my love of totemic art into my own unique style of totems, which I make to honor someone either living or deceased,  to mark a celebration, or to tell a story or a history through a library of symbols.   The totem is another stylized form of ritual acknowledgement in that it stands as a permanent record of an individual's achievement.  Such symbolism is as old as humanity and was used to honor great war heroes, royalty, and local deities.  I  use both universally recognized symbols from ancient times and symbols of my own design which hold iconic meaning. 

Photos and web works by baby dragon publishing and Ken Krakow