Overview
My approach to ceramic art is greatly influenced by the sensibilities I have gained from studying and working in the field of architecture. Every project is affected by a design consciousness that is rooted in respect for site and process.
Regarding site, or setting, I find inspiration in the two extremes of urban versus rural, their contrasts, and what happens when they merge in one spot. As a child growing up in Colorado, I had an early appreciation for the untouched and wild beauty of the Rocky Mountains. During my time in Arkansas, I explored the Ozarks and Mississippi River Delta, the location of my Bayou Bartholomew sketches and chapel design featured in this project. And, over the years, I have traveled to unsettled places such as Death Valley, the Greek isles, rural Vermont, and the Italian countryside. I find inspiration in the natural architecture of these places, spatial and experiential elements formed by natural forces, often over long periods of time: hillside bluffs exposed by years of wind, a mountain valley carved by glaciers, or volcanic islands. As an architect, I consider how to visually blend human occupation into a rural setting. Sometimes, the best solution is to leave the natural place untouched. But often, there needs to be a seamless transition from man-made to natural surroundings. I am interested in buildings that enhance their surroundings, either through contrasts or blending. Many of my ceramic projects, such as Pedestal Vessels, incorporate a setting by grounding the vessels with a pedestal, a place. Or, as in Bottlescapes, I use groupings of variations of the same form to create an environment, reminiscent to rolling hills.
In addition to untouched rural landscapes, I also study the other extreme type of site, the historic urban setting. Whether it's a real first-hand experience or imagined, descriptions of cities allow me to dream up new ideas for creative projects. When sketching city fabric, I uncover layers of human occupation going back hundreds, sometimes thousands of years such as in the case of Rome and sketches from my time in Italy. While living in Rome, I explored its many ancient ruins, preserved amongst present day life and the vibrance of a busy city. I witnessed the beautifully destructive effect of time on buildings- massive masonry walls wearing down brick by brick over centuries. The monstrous monuments of antiquity show their age through weathering and patinas. Many of my finishes emulate these effects, like the patina on a copper gutter, the green deepened by the pollution of the city. Living in Baltimore has given me a constant supply of cityscape inspiration. Though this is a younger, industrial city, it still has the dense essence of human occupation and a history of its own to uncover. Many of my sketches take place along the harbor because it is such a key factor in Baltimore’s story and still holds some of that old industrial charm. Some of these sketches make their way directly onto my projects, while others simply inspire the shapes of things.
The other key to my design consciousness, as mentioned, is respect for process: honest evidence left bare of how things are formed or held together. The most obvious example is the exposed structure of a building, such as steel beams or load-bearing masonry walls. Even seemingly small things, like exposed fasteners or the texture left from concrete formwork, tell a beautiful and compelling story as the marks of construction. This relates back to why I am so drawn to historic ruins because the bare bones of the structure are revealed. Both the String Slabs project and Vessels inTension reveal the forces that are placed upon the form during construction. The end result of every piece is a direct outcome of the formation process. In a more subtle way, pieces in Drafted Vessels and the Design/Build project expose the construction methods of slab-built ceramics, highlighting joints between the slabs.
This gallery section, Architecture, an Introduction, serves as an explanation for my personal creative aesthetic. It contains work samples from design projects, sketches from travels, and abstract models. It is a condensed illustration of the essence of my work.