I
supported myself from ceramics through high school
and college and haven’t worked for anyone
since. I love my work because of the freedom that
it brings, with regard to my work and life. Every
day in my studio, I get to decide what to make and
what my day will entail. My studio is next to my
house, so my commute is a beautiful walk through
the desert. I try to approach my work with a
playful, child-like attitude, although I have to
admit that working with clay can be as stressful as
any other job. Ceramics has taught me patience and
I try to let things go with the flow. When firing a
large kiln, it often takes 10 to 12 hours. I
usually fire raku at night because you can see
what’s going on inside the kiln. I’ve
always loved fire since I was a kid and I’m
glad that my work enables me to be around
it.
I am
married to a wonderful, supportive woman who
inspires me to be a better person. We have a young
son and as his eyes are full of wonder about the
world, he also inspires my attitude towards my
artwork.
In my
free time, I love to work on things around the
house. I like to figure out how things work and
usually have a new project in mind before the one
I’m working on is done. I have two white
German Shepherds that would follow me anywhere and
are great company. I also built a fish pond 7 years
ago and have a lot of tropical plants. Each one of
my 18 fish has an interesting name! It took about a
year for them to trust me, but now they feed out of
my hand. I also enjoy ping pong and doing anything
outdoors, such as hiking and snow skiing.
