Most of my early creative memories include cans of Play Doh, scraps of fabric and the discarded paper inserts from my dad’s new Western dress shirts. I grew up in Montana, one of sixteen children in a working class family. My parents provided us with everything that we needed and even some of what we wanted. My young life was one of vast creativity and immense imagination…making a lot of ‘something’ out of little or nothing.
I attended Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. My time in college was heavily weighted with science classes and a broad spectrum of courses in both two and three-dimensional art. In 1995 I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in Printmaking. Curiously, I have never made a print since.
My current focus is on sculptural ceramics. I take in and gather visual information on mountain treks, forest walks and river explorations. Ultimately, my work is about form, line, and texture. My creative process is intuitive and organic. I begin with a loose idea and let the clay do most of the leading. Each piece I make is formed by hand, one at a time. I often work in multiples, learning and improving as I go until all or part of the process becomes a fluent part of my sculptural language.
I work between my home studio and a clay art cooperative in Eugene, Oregon.