Crimson Laurel Gallery

As a gardener and cook, as well as a potter, I think a lot about food. It is very important to me that the whole act of eating should be joyful. It makes me so happy to serve something I know to be nourishing. I think that is why making pots seems so special to me.

When I sit down at my wheel to make pots, I think about how they will be used. I’ll make a wider bowl for pasta, a taller mug for tea and maybe a vase for my zinnias. A variety of pots for life’s varied needs.

I think about how food will look presented in my pottery. Black and white bulls eyes, turquoise checkerboards and lots of stripes augment the simple pots I make. I try to bring something of an urban sensibility to traditional forms and techniques.

The environmental implications of my craft are important to me, so I make my firings carbon neutral by using waste wood from the local saw mill to fire my kiln. I appreciate the connection that tending the fire affords--the maker has a direct hand in the finishing of their pots.

I aim to make pots with integrity that radiate sweetness and joy.