I love to make boxes, including stacked forms, platters, plates, cups, and vessels for flower arranging. I am interested in how my work either contains space or how it relates to the objects, food, or flowers that it holds. I hope that other people enjoy this aspect of my work too.

I try to capture some of the contrasts and the variety that I find in nature in my work. Most of my work is hand built with slabs of clay. I often make marks through layers of slip on the surface of the slabs to create movement and a dynamic quality that I find exciting. The natural ash deposits and the flashing of the wood firing accentuate this and introduce a spontaneous quality that is somewhat beyond my control and comes the closest to expressing my ideas about nature and beauty.

I grew up on a small farm in Vermont. When I was nine my dad adopted a dog from the humane society and left it with us as he drove off for good in our only car. My mother was left to raise me and my two sisters by herself. We did not have much money and Vermont, although beautiful, was bitterly cold. My mother was an exceptional person who cared deeply about us and greatly valued esthetic beauty and education. This experience taught me to be resourceful, deepened my character, and always informs my art and sense of beauty.

I studied biology at Earlham College for my first BA and later went back to school (for a second BA) to Bennington College where I was very fortunate to be able to study ceramics with Stanley Rosen and photography with Neil Rappaport. When I was at Earlham College I had the chance to live and study in Japan and that has been a continuing source of inspiration for me. Until recently I worked part time in a neuropharmacology research lab at the Hershey Medical Center as a research technician. Now I am a full time artist.

I have exhibited in state shows including the PA Craft Show at the State Museum in Harrisburg, multiple shows at the Lebanon Fine Art and Frame Shop, The Lebanon Valley College 46th annual juried show where I got honorable mention, and the Susquehanna Center for the Creative Arts juried exhibit. The national shows I have exhibited in include the Strictly Functional Pottery National show (four times), Small Favors Show at the Clay Studio in Philadelphia, The Saratoga Arts Center show juried by Mark Shapiro Playing With Fire, The Workhouse Arts Center Clay International Show juried by Tony Clennell, and a one person virtual show at Cecil College.

My cups have been exhibited in the MWSU twin cup show, the KC Tea Bowl National show juried by Sam Chung and then again by Hitomi and Takuro Shibata where my cup received a purchase award, The Winter Warmer Cup show at Good Earth Pottery in Bellingham, Washington, the ICAN cup show, and I currently have 5 cups at the Charlie Cummings Gallery in Florida. In addition I have had work accepted in the ICAN (International Ceramic Arts Network) calendar a number of times. My work was also included in the book, “From a Slab of Clay” by Daryl E. Baird.

I live in Cornwall with my husband and son (and dog and cat), where I have a basement studio with views of the woods, deer, and flocks of wild turkeys.