BIO
I make ceramics for other people: to look at, to use, or to look at and think about using—the breadth of clay captivates me. Typically, the objects I make are responses to my interests in American history and culture.
My father is Vietnam War veteran, which made me very curious about that war. In college my curiosty became a political awakening, inspiring my ongoing project/gift exchange/discussion with war veterans. I implore you to lend them your ear.
Southern Maryland , raised in a suburb of D.C., went to college in the city of “brotherly love,” and now live in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina. On the farm, I realize the huge amount of work in maintenance alone, but the sweet privacy that comes with living away from a lot of people; in the suburbs, the homogeny and safety of a middle-class neighborhood; in the city, the amazing diversity of culture and the blaring inequity, magnified by a very close experience with the violence of poverty--my Buddhist next-door neighbor, Wihn, a peaceful old man, was killed by a stray bullet feet from our front door one afternoon. Now, in the peaceful Smokey mountains I can drop my mental armor and stop and smell the roses. I am currently a resident artist at Odyssey Center for the Ceramic Arts.
Side note rant / my two cents on gun control:
I was born in a house full of guns, grew up shooting them and firmly believe in the 2nd Amendment (as an individual's right). Living in the city will curb anyone's stance on gun control. I understand why it is an unresolved debate. Guns are bad news in densly populated areas. One stray bullet can kill. Most shots fired in the streets are stray. But guns don't kill people, people kill people. Education is what it comes down to. Before money, that is.
My father is Vietnam War veteran, which made me very curious about that war. In college my curiosty became a political awakening, inspiring my ongoing project/gift exchange/discussion with war veterans. I implore you to lend them your ear.
Side note rant / my two cents on gun control:
I was born in a house full of guns, grew up shooting them and firmly believe in the 2nd Amendment (as an individual's right). Living in the city will curb anyone's stance on gun control. I understand why it is an unresolved debate. Guns are bad news in densly populated areas. One stray bullet can kill. Most shots fired in the streets are stray. But guns don't kill people, people kill people. Education is what it comes down to. Before money, that is.
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