As a teenager, I was the quirky queer kid hanging out around the high school art rooms. Mrs. Sabourin grabbed me, mentored me, and told me I was going to take her pottery class. That class has guided my art making and career from the beginning.
I received my BFA from Maine College of Art and my MFA from Towson University. I was a resident and teacher at Baltimore Clayworks for over a decade. Through teaching community art courses, I found that I was energized and inspired by mentoring others.
I’ve spent the bulk of my career facilitating clay mural residencies (in school K-12 setting) as a teaching artist with Arts for Learning (AKA Young Audiences of Maryland.) During that time, I partnered with STEM and classroom teachers to develop and present arts integrated student learning objectives into student made handmade tile murals.
In 2020 with schools closed, I adjusted my focus and returned to making as a full-time studio artist. My functional pottery can be found in retail boutiques in Maine, Maryland, and Florida. Post pandemic I was invited by the Baltimore City School System to provide professional development, mentoring a cohort of fine art teachers to build confidence with clay lessons and kiln safety/management.
“As an artist my work is inspired by landscapes, urban and waterfront. I am interested in the beautiful crust, decay, layers of pressure and the marks of time. I seek to express the grit and truth of what I observe and experience.
My work is currently functional handbuilt tableware, made with mid-range porcelain fired to cone 6. I use a variety of handmade plaster and bisque molds that I sometimes cast from found objects. I love the feel and experience of working with wet clay. My decorating technique is a series of painted layers, stenciled and monoprints with ceramic underglazes that are applied to the clay when it is wet and soft. I am working towards creating new forms with more volume, integrating the underglazed surface in a way that considers and compliments the shape.
I am interested in how new technologies can be used and applied to the making of my work and how it might change over time. I am drawn to places where the community and the landscape are working together, where there is connection to water and respect for the natural world.”
