In addition to being lead-free, our pottery is oven, dishwasher and
micro-wave safe.
I hand-paint my pots using traditional ceramic colorants: cobalt, iron, chrome and rutile, as well as commercial red and black stains. I use some commercial sumi-e brushes for color and shading, but most of the drawing is done with brushes that I make myself.
I still have some of my first brushes, from college 25 years ago, crude things made from squirrel tail, wax, string and sticks. Now I use bamboo handles and thread and epoxy bindings. I still collect road-killed squirrels, though; I like the springiness and flexibility they bring to the brush.
I primarily paint animal images, probably due to my childhood on a Wisconsin farm. Many are painted from memory, although I keep a portfolio of reference photographs, on paper or on my tablet, for some of the newer or more elaborate images. I also keep sketchbooks handy at the zoo, aquarium or county fair.
I admire Chinese brush paintings. I don't consciously try to imitate
them, but I think the simplicity and facility with brush leads to a similar
look and style.
My 2017 Ceramic Showcase entry, Baba Yaga Takes and Apprentice, was voted Best of Show, and my 2017 Clay Fest piece, Clever Girl took Second Place, joining a long line of Clay Fest award-winners, including Five Ducks (Best of Show, 2007), and The Bookseller's Apprentice and The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, (Second Place in 2007 and 2004, respectively).
I've twice been accepted to (and once asked to be juror for) Eugene's
highly competitive Mayor's Art Show, and one piece, "The Girl With The
Flyaway Hair," was featured on the Mayor's Show poster for 2002.
Back to Home