My ceramic work centers on the audience’s experience. I strive to create pieces that balance ergonomics, functionality, and aesthetic harmony. This approach stems from my background in graphic design, where I learned the importance of communicating a clear message through form and composition. In my ceramics, I apply the same design principles, pattern, balance, contrast, and visual hierarchy to guide how viewers interact with and interpret my work. My process always begins with sketching and planning. I primarily wheel-throw with white stoneware, firing to cone ten reduction. Recently, I have been exploring more atmospheric firings, including wood, salt, and soda. During my undergraduate studies, I worked closely with my professor and learned to fire our downdraft gas kiln, a process that has become the highlight of my creative practice. The meticulous attention required to tend the kiln reinforces my connection to the material and the importance of human touch in every stage of making. Whether I’m shaping a form on the wheel or firing a kiln, I am physically and mentally engaged in every step. In many other art forms, there is a degree of separation between the maker and the work. Painters have brushes, graphic designers have computers, but for the potter, the primary tool is the body itself. This inseparable connection is what fuels my love for ceramics.
