Bio

On a fundamental level, my work involves two dramatically different techniques: “throwing” (or spinning) clay on a potters’ wheel, and “hand building,” which can include rolling slabs of clay or shaping the clay by hand.  Additional adornment is done with stamps, textured patterns, trailed slip (liquid clay with colorant), and glaze.  Due to the nature of clay, a great deal of tension is created when these two techniques are combined, so it becomes a marriage of craftsmanship and artistic vision.  My goal is to create pieces that go beyond their functional foundation, taking the form further by inserting inspiration.  I love the rareness that only an object created with the human hand can have.

 

My recent work has taken on a simplicity in the surface treatment.  The use of white clay, an underglaze wash, and a clear glaze bares the true nature of the clay and highlights the process of ceramic art – the components and how they are put together.  Commonplace in my work are elements inspired by my love of the (sometimes mystical) American West, along with a rustic, natural feel, which is many times described as “old.”

 

I took a hiatus from making art to start our family.  In those years while I was making babies instead of pots, the desire to be creative was always there, resting impatiently. Now that those babies are teenagers, I have been questioning the creative desire, perhaps due to the perspective gained upon becoming a parent.  After creating human life, making a ceramic bowl can seem insignificant.  “Is my art-making constructive?  Am I contributing anything significant?” are questions I have asked myself.  In light of the reality of our world today, my answer has come to be a most definite “yes.”  There is enough ugly about our Earth, so I feel extremely fortunate that attempting to add some beauty to it is my passion and my profession, whether that is by nurturing a child or by creating a nice mug.

 

I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1992 from Mesa State College (now Colorado Mesa University) in Grand Junction, Colorado, and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in ceramics from Kansas State University in 1996, studying under the legendary Yoshiro Ikeda.

 

My work has been included in numerous group exhibitions, including The Kansas Masters Invitational Art Show, as well as in many competitions across the country.  My pieces have been featured in galleries in Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and California, and in numerous private and corporate collections, as well as in the 1995 book "Best of Pottery."

 

I own a studio and gallery in a former church building on Main Street in Medicine Lodge.  My husband is Todd, a veterinarian, and together we are raising three handsome young men: Sawyer, Shaefer & Slayton.