INSPIRATION, PROCESS AND BIO

FOR YEARS I’VE BEEN EXPERIMENTING WITH SAGGAR FIRING, A FORM OF SAWDUST FIRING, AND FIND IT TO BE A REGENERATIVE SOURCE OF INSPIRATION. EACH FIRING LEADS ME TO NEW MARK MAKING DISCOVERIES AND INITIATES MORE EXPLORATION, CONTINUING THE CYCLE. THE EFFECTS I STRIVE FOR COME FROM THE IMAGERY I ABSORB EVERYDAY, WALKING IN THE CITY, THE WOODS, OR KAYAKING IN LAKE MICHIGAN, WHICH OFTEN FIND THEIR WAY ONTO THE SURFACES OF THE WORK.

MOST OF MY WORK IS THROWN ON THE WHEEL, THEN COATED WITH TERRA SIGILLATA (A FINE PARTICULATE SLIP) AND BISQUE FIRED. I ONLY USE THE EFFECTS OF THE COMBUSTIBLES, METAL SALTS AND OTHER ORGANIC MATERIALS TO CREATE THE MARKS ON THE SURFACES, I DON’T USE GLAZE OR UNDERGLAZE. THE ALCHEMY OF THE MATERIALS IN THE SAGGAR, PAIRED WITH FIRE, CREATES THE MAGIC. EACH PIECE IS THEN CLEANED AND THE SURFACE SEALED.

MY STUDIO PRACTICE IS IN CHICAGO, WHERE I’VE BEEN TEACHING CERAMICS FOR OVER TWO DECADES. I EXHIBIT NATIONALLY, YOU CAN SEE MY RESUME HERE.