20+ years ago I took a pottery class at our local community college in Hagerstown. It happened to be the last class they offered in the art department that I hadn't taken, and I fell in love. Since then, I have given up all my other artistic/craft interests and continued to throw pots during all of my available time. Although I do love flower gardening, and maintain several perennial beds.

 

Besides being fun to " play in the mud" I love making functional pottery. It is a form of art that enriches the life of the person who uses the pot at the same time being useful. I hope each pot is viewed, held, and used regularly, bringing a smile, or comfort or perhaps a challenge to the user.

 

I am a person who likes to try new techniques and ideas. Clay offers millions of opportunities to explore types of clay, firing techniques, surface design, glazes and glaze techniques. 

 

Personally I work in both stoneware and porcelain because I can't decide which I like best. Porcelain is beautiful, smooth when throwing, flexible for altering and carving and provides a beautiful white background when it is painted on. You may have picked up the flower theme. Porcelain is particularly lovely with celadon glazes. Stoneware, on the other hand, is  earthy, practical and lends itself to numerous firing and glazing techniques. With stoneware you get beautiful blues, warm rich browns and most anything in between. I particularly like stoneware for kitchen use and food service.

 

Over the years I have continued to explore new ideas and improve my skills , I have taken workshops with David Voorhees (painting on porcelain), Kevin Crowe ( throwing large pieces) Bill Van Guilder (functional techniques), Antoinette Badenhorst ( translucent porcelain), Martha Grover ( altering porcelain) and many others. Each of these people have blessed me by sharing their skills and giving me new avenues to explore.

Of course, we don't know what life will bring, but I intend to throw pots for many, many more years.