Hand Built Teapots

My one of a kind hand built vessels and wall pieces have been widely shown and published since graduate school. The teapots in particular received early recognition and have become my signature pieces. The technique used for this body of work is slab construction with inlaid colored clay surfaces. Over the years my palette has expanded to include over 100 colored clays. The color choices for each piece are generally influenced by the seasonal changes in nature and the environment of this area. Occasionally the colors reflect the inspiration of my travels to places like Mexico and the Soviet Union.

The inlaid surfaces have taken on a more painterly quality as I continue to explore the possibilities of the intricate layering that this technique provides. Collage has become the process I use to organize intuitively these layers of color. Because the form and surface are worked simultaneously, each piece is actively integrated.

In addition to teapots, this body of work includes vases and wall vases, sculptural wall pieces and platters as well as other forms. Since the three dimensional pieces have two sides I approach them as if they are two canvases which can be quite different in feeling. In this way each piece, when turned around, can present surprising contrasts. Creating apparent movement with asymmetrical silhouettes is an important element of my sense of form. Inspirational sources include many abstracted aspects of the landscape of this area such as the rock formations and flora and fauna. Chinese scrolls are the inspiration for the shape of the platters which are a simpler format for more complex imagery. Paired pieces refer to the energy of connection with others which enriches our lives.