It has always been my goal as an artist and maker to develop a connection with the viewer in an intimate and universal manner. I was trained as a sculptor and spent many years developing a conceptual body of work that focused on the personal development and experiences that I went through as a young woman. To truly develop this body of work I separated myself from everything that I had ever known, and moved to Fairbanks, Alaska to pursue a graduate degree. I spent 3 years developing a deeply personal and emotional body of work. The nature of this body of work eventually took a toll. Upon completion of my MFA, it was clear that this body of work drained me physically and emotionally. This and caused me to take a year off of art making all together and reflect on my pursuits.

       During this time I moved back to Kansas City and began to feel a profound withdrawal from myself.  I felt as though I was unable to communicate with the outside world in the language I had been developing my entire life. Creating art was, and is, the form of communication that I am most comfortable expressing. I had lost my voice, and needed to get it back to feel whole again.

        It was at this point when I turned to pottery and the functional object. To me, the making of an object, the process, holds as much value as the finished object itself.  I set out to develop my skills as a potter and to make a cup, simply because it held water. It was at this point in my artistic career that I adopted a quip by Andy Warhol. “Don’t think about making art, just get it done. Let everyone else decide if it’s good or bad, whether they love it or hate it. While they are deciding, make even more art.”

        Over the last 2 years I have focused my energy on the exploration of clay and the meaning of form and function. I believe that the life cycle of a ceramic vessel is not complete until the work is used. Until it is filled with nourishment and that nourishment is consumed. Until the viewer becomes the user and holds the vessel in their hands and brings it to their lips. It is at this point that the viewer is able to truly connect with the work. Since the relationship between viewer and the functional ceramic is so intimate, I focused this energy on craftsmanship. I made over 1,000 pots to hone my skills while simultaneously trying to reestablish my voice. In May of 2015 I hit a breakthrough on my relationship with clay and the aesthetic development of my work. This breakthrough gave me back my voice and has made my drive to create even stronger.

         This body of work is feminine and playful.  Each piece is unique and no two are alike. They are intended to portray a union of opposing classifications that we so often find within our culture and artistic language. These classifications include, but are not limited to: functional vs. sculptural, fragility vs. stability, attraction vs. repulsion, and elegance vs. clumsiness. The works implore consideration and placement within each category, so that they might open the door to the possibility of blending our opinions and make way for a world of beautiful art pieces that are meant to be touched and that are meant to and used, rather than looked at from a distance.