I am a maker of vessels and objects. I see my work more as a sculptural process and less about being a piece of pottery. I approach each form with the end results in mind. I try to utilize all the diverse surfaces available in the Woodfired Anagama kiln and try not to make pots just to fill its large belly up. Each individual piece is placed into the kiln with a predetermined loading pattern in mind, some pieces are meant to be standing upright, others on their side. The occasional piece is even turned upside down. I subject a few choice pieces to the “charcoal zones” where they are bombarded with wood and buried under the coals made by the burning wood. Other times I will tumble stack the work in small piles, taking an educated risk for dramatic outcomes. For me the body of work is more about form and process and the marriage of the two. I will pick a surface that is peculiar to one zone in the kiln and then make vessels or objects that I feel will work in unison with that surface. I feel it is similar to painting in the respect that the vessel is the canvas and how I load and fire is the process of “painting” the vessel.