Lately I have been interested in replicating textures that look like wood in clay. I’ve been experimenting with various carving and coloring techniques that will hopefully fool the viewer into thinking the pieces are actually made from wood. I like the old weathered tree look and driftwood surfaces and have been trying to mimic them in clay. I use underglazes and multiple firings to achieve the look.
My obsession with clay started in high school–I enrolled in art classes when I was a sophomore. I took ceramics classes throughout my High School days, and learned as much as I could through classes and extra-curricular activities such as workshops and seminars. Upon graduation, I enrolled at SJSU, where I concentrated my studies in ceramics under James Lovera, Robert Fritz and Herbert Sanders, with some influences thrown in by David Middlebrook. I also joined some of my friends in a studio which we shared off campus for a few years. We built our own kilns and made items to sell in the local art fairs. I also worked in a local ceramic supply shop building kilns for several years while at SJSU.
After graduating with a BA in Ceramics, I became a production potter for several years at two Bay Area production pottery houses. I taught summer classes on production pottery while I was working in the field, and an Adult Education ceramics class. The production pottery was fun and educational, but I got more pleasure out of designing one-of-a-kind pieces and exploring raku surfaces and organic looking textures. Which leads me to where I am today, continually experimenting with new ideas, shapes, textures and surfaces, expressing my unusual perspective in ceramics.