C E R A M I C S
My ceramic work explores the tension between outer defense and inner vulnerability, questioning how protection is constructed and what it reveals about the instinct to shield what is most fragile.
I reference the visual language of American traditional tattoo imagery -- tied to protection, identity, and permanence. Left unglazed, the clay remains porous and exposed, creating a tension between the notion of toughness and the inherent fragility of the material. These forms appear armored, yet remain unprotected.
Some of my vessels also draw from wrought iron fences -- structures that signal security while enforcing separation. Spirals, spikes, and repeating linear elements echo architectural barriers and the desire to define boundaries. I also draw from nature’s defensive strategies, such as thorns, spiked seed pods, and quilled animals, linking human-made and organic strategies of protection.
My maker’s mark -- a snail -- extends this language. Carrying its shelter on its back, it embodies both protection and exposure. A snail’s shell holds both refuge and risk, where protection and vulnerability exist at once.
AMERICAN TRADITIONAL SERIES
WROUGHT IRON FENCE SERIES
SPIKE SERIES
VARIED VESSELS
MARBLED
HANDBUILT
PRACTICAL VESSELS