I make wheel-thrown porcelain and stoneware ceramics for the table. Originally from the Midwest, I have called central Virginia home for over 20 years. In 2022, I earned an MFA in ceramics from Hood College, in Frederick MD. I now teach ceramics at Mary Baldwin University and at Woodberry Forest school, and am the director of the Charlottesville-area Artisans Studio Tour.
My current body of work is in soda-fired porcelain. Soda-firing is an involved process, but the surfaces it creates are one-of-a kind. When the kiln reaches about 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, I open up a port in the wall and spray a soda ash solution directly into the hot kiln. The sodium vaporizes and reacts with the clay and glaze inside, creating running effects where the pots are glazed, and melting the silica on the surface of unglazed pots into a glaze of its own. The direction of the flame through the kiln and the spray of soda ash leave their marks on each pot, sometimes trapping carbon in the glaze or creating flashes of orange as the fire moves around the pot and reacts with the iron in the clay body. The pottery that comes out of the kiln shows the marks from this process long after it is over.
I sell work at craft fairs, in local shops, and online here and in an etsy shop. I do custom orders from time to time, so don't hesitate to make a request through the contact link at the top of this page.