It is the ikebanas, the flower vases, you see first in my booth at any art show. Undulating forms contain tubes supporting flower stems both thick and thin: iris, roses, carnations and even fresh herbs stand straight, displaying the flowers that are the focus. I roll slabs and coils of my earthenware clay, then glaze the leafy shapes with soft watercolor like glazes I have developed. I have created a simple, effective way to arrange even just a few fresh flowers from the garden, calling them ikebanas after the ancient oriental philosophy of flower arranging and home decorating that basically states, “less is more”.

I have been a potter for almost 40 years, the last three decades spent in the Texas Hill country. I now live and work in Wimberley, Texas handbuilding earthenware pots that are functional art pieces.I work in earthenware (a terra cotta colored clay body) because of the color and the inherent thermal quality of a lower fired clay. It goes in the oven and the microwave. By adding some higher fired clays to earthenware from the Ohio River valley, I have an earthenware clay that is much more durable than the traditional and even goes in the dishwasher.

I have developed  pastel glazes in multiple shades of greens, blues, yellows, and even a rose red that are all food safe and lead free. With this large palette of color I paint my organically shaped pots with designs culled from my ceramics studies in Arizona and New Mexico and my love of early 20th century Arts and Crafts pieces I saw in museum basements in Europe, Mexico, and from Chicago to San Francisco. Looking out my studio window, the humming birds, butterflies and even lizards I see find their way into my designs, sometimes even becoming the pot itself.

Though the ikebana is the perfect gift, for a wedding or that hard-to-buy-for friend, the unique colors and shapes of all my pots make them special gifts even to oneself! Enjoy these pages showing my creative work, look for me at an art show near you, or contact me to place a special order.