Clay has been a huge part of my life ever since that first chance encounter with an old kick wheel that was being sold off at a local school. First there was the purchase, then the need to learn how to use it, then the instant addiction to the wheel. Somewhere along the way I encountered an article on crystalline glazes and knew I had to find out more.

I got a great foundation working with clay in the ceramics department at City College of San Francisco. Along the way I'm grateful for the exposure I've gotten to wonderful artists like Phil Rogers, Ah Leon, and Steven Hill through workshops.

I took a course which explored crystalline glazes at the Mendocino Art Center with Carol Sphar and I knew I was hooked. Though it is a difficult process and we had few true successes during the course, I had enough of a tantalizing glimpse to want to pursue this very finnicky fascinating glaze.

Developing work that expresses something about me without being overpowered by the glaze is sort of a balancing act. It would be easy to let the glaze do all the talking, but I think something magical occurs when there is a sensitive dialog between the form and the surface.

Somewhere along the way I've transitioned from being a student to studio artist though I feel that mastering the craft (and the glaze) is an ongoing process.