White Salt-fired Basket
My Story
In the late 1970s I came across a pottery studio at The Undertaking, a small artist cooperative in Occoquan, VA. I signed up for a class in wheel throwing and began my adventure with clay.
During the course of my clay adventure, I’ve been a student and teacher at Jill Hinckley’s studio in Washington, DC, and attended numerous workshops given by renowned potters including Michael Simon, Ruthanne Tudball, Mark Shapiro, Randy Johnston, Hayne Bayless, Nick Joerling, and Kevin Crowe. I’ve also joined friends firing pots in a salt kiln. Salt firing dates back to 15th Century Germany when potters discovered that throwing common salt in the kiln when it reached high temperatures caused a chemical reaction with the clay, forming an attractive natural glaze.
The pots I make are functional, made on a wheel or from slabs, and are of stoneware or porcelain. Forming pots is the part of the process that I most enjoy -- actually feeling the clay slide through my hands when I throw, the pot taking shape from the pressure and gestures of my hand. I usually apply white, green, and/or blue glazes to my pots and decorate them with simple images of fish, birds, plants, or grasses. Pots are fired to 2350 degrees in a gas kiln. Pots are oven-, microwave-, and dishwasher-safe.
I sell my work at craft shows throughout the mid-Atlantic region. My work can also be found in galleries and shops on the Eastern Shore including The Stepping Stone in Lewes, and the Rehoboth Art League in Rehoboth Beach, and in Metro DC, at Terasol Artisan Gallery and Café.
I have a Bachelor of Music Education from James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA, and a Masters in Arts Management from American University in Washington, DC. I taught choral music on the secondary school level and worked in public cultural philanthropy.
My husband, Larz, our pups, and I split our time between Lewes, DE and Washington, DC.