Artist Statement
I am an artist who is recreating herself after retirement.
My pottery is meant to be substantial and simple in design. Artistically, I am concerned with the silhouette of each piece. My pottery is not delicate and fragile; however, I strive for an elegance in each of my pieces. I drift between functional and sculptural pottery and enjoy pushing the limits of the clay and my own ideas. I use atmospheric, oxidation, and reduction firings for a variety of glaze and clay combinations. I enjoy eating and drinking from hand-made pieces and work to make them comfortable to look at as well as use.
My "toad abodes" are my favorite objects to create; they are at once both functional and whimsical. As a gardener, I try to attract toads to my gardens. I make each toad abode to stand out as an individual but also as a part of a collective. My inspiration for the tops of my toad abodes is the Prospect Park Water Tower — sometimes referred to as the Witch's Hat, a historic water tower in the Prospect Park neighborhood of Southeast Minneapolis. I play with the sizes; the larger toad abodes are mostly sculptural, and the smallest are decorative. They are always fluid and often fun.
