born 1944
Resides in Port Townsend, Washington
Photograph by Roger Schreiber
Her works have been seen in one-person exhibitions in more than a dozen galleries on both coasts and in the midwest. Among her awards: a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, First Place in the Cedar Creek National Teapot Show, and First Place in Women in Washington: The First Century. Ceramics Monthly featured her work in March, 1993, and she has lectured at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts and the British Columbia Potters Guild in Vancouver.
Because I rely on the vessel as my core metaphor, I rely on tradition. I see my pieces as a personal restatement of a very old statement, as a visual thread between the past and the future as I find meaning in the present. They are expressions of my desire for order, harmony, rootedness, and a little grace in this world that feels as though it is flying apart. Through my vessels, I hope to speak, not centre stage, but in the quiet, contemplative niches and corners of the individual and collective psyche.
Where do you get the ideas for your work?
- The world around me - natural and man-made - and lots of sketching.
Do you work alone on your craft, or with others?
- I work alone.
Do you ever teach, or take on apprentices?
- I teach workshops around the country - one or two a year. I do not take apprentices.
What's the most exciting part of creating your works?
- Coming up with and realizing a new idea.
What sort of technology do you use in your work? Has the technology of your craft changed dramatically over the past 100 years?
- I have an electric wheel and a propane-fired, down-draft, 50 cu.ft. kiln that I designed and built.
Do you have any advice for somebody just starting out?
- Patience and perseverance.
What are we missing by experiencing your work through the Internet and not seeing/hearing/feeling/smelling/touching it in person?
- The scale of the forms and surface of the glaze.
In the Studio
Adjusting Handle and Spout of Teapot
