Once your hands are in clay, there is no stopping what you can create. Throughout my coursework in ceramics I have explored many different techniques, both in building and glazing my work. It is hard to say whether I prefer handbuilding or wheelthrowing, they are both processes that allow the mind to see things in the clay, and allow the hands to interact with the medium differently.

Wheelthrowing is a practice that tests my patience, but with work has been rewarding. My skills progress everytime I sit down at the wheel, and although there are times I feel defeated when a piece collapses, it does not stop me from taking another lump of clay and doing it all over again.

I have found handbuilding to be more controlled, as I rely only on my hands and some simple tools to create a piece. It is a therapeutic experience that I return to after having trouble on the wheel, or even after a bad day. Having your hands involved in the medium can revive and release the mind.

I have taken interest in experimenting and trying out the many surface treatments available for completing my work. For functional pieces I find the vibrant colors found in high fire cone 9/10 glazes to add a flash of life to a simple mug. The glassy and unexpected colors and crackles of raku glazes add a whole other dimension to my sculptural work. Currently I have been most interested in the low fire maiolica and tin glaze surface treatment, in which pieces are coated with the white base maiolica glaze, and then decorated with tin glazes. The finished result has a glossy finish, and is one of the few ceramic surface treatments that usually does not have unexpected results after it is fired!