Medium: Sectional Vessel, Black Stoneware and Glazes
Dimensions: approx 19"Hx9"Wx7"D
“My work is built by hand through coiling and sculpting techniques. I use mid-range stoneware clay with a special fondness for black manganese stoneware bodies that accentuate silhouettes. I apply glazes with fine tipped liner bottles to build up detailed pattern and love oil spot glazes for the unpredictable color effects they produce. It's a time-consuming and meticulous process. The idea for these vessels, whose lids conceal sharp teeth, developed as I was going through surgery and radiation for breast cancer, when I had a strong sense that a given vessel might contain something risky. Over the two years since I finished my treatment, the forms have become more playful -- but still impish and not entirely docile.
My work explores the psychological impact of trauma from poverty, family violence and migration, as well as my experience of sexual abuse and cancer. My art leans toward magical realism, and my irony and humor come through. I delve into the way internalized trauma shapes one’s inner landscape and informs one’s self image. Like others with CPTSD, I grapple with memories. Art allows me to process experiences I can’t forget and manage traumas I can’t fully recall -- the ones that never truly disappear. By visually representing the emotional impact of events you’re “not supposed to talk about,” I connect with many people who share similar histories.”
I’m the child of hillbilly migrants to Baltimore, the first generation to be educated and the visual artist in my family. My parents and many prior generations were agricultural laborers in Virginia. Their displacement and persistent generational trauma have deeply impacted my life and art. I worked as an illustrator, and then for nearly 20 years, was a primary school teacher. Since retiring, I have focused on ceramic sculpture and painting. My work has been shown at NOMAD, the Hive Gallery, Shoebox Projects, Gallery 825, the Los Angeles Makery, Golden West and Cerritos Colleges, with a solo show at Shoebox in 2025. I live and work in Whittier.
Medium: Sectional Vessel, Black Stoneware and Glazes
Dimensions: approx 19"Hx9"Wx7"D
“My work is built by hand through coiling and sculpting techniques. I use mid-range stoneware clay with a special fondness for black manganese stoneware bodies that accentuate silhouettes. I apply glazes with fine tipped liner bottles to build up detailed pattern and love oil spot glazes for the unpredictable color effects they produce. It's a time-consuming and meticulous process. The idea for these vessels, whose lids conceal sharp teeth, developed as I was going through surgery and radiation for breast cancer, when I had a strong sense that a given vessel might contain something risky. Over the two years since I finished my treatment, the forms have become more playful -- but still impish and not entirely docile.
My work explores the psychological impact of trauma from poverty, family violence and migration, as well as my experience of sexual abuse and cancer. My art leans toward magical realism, and my irony and humor come through. I delve into the way internalized trauma shapes one’s inner landscape and informs one’s self image. Like others with CPTSD, I grapple with memories. Art allows me to process experiences I can’t forget and manage traumas I can’t fully recall -- the ones that never truly disappear. By visually representing the emotional impact of events you’re “not supposed to talk about,” I connect with many people who share similar histories.”
I’m the child of hillbilly migrants to Baltimore, the first generation to be educated and the visual artist in my family. My parents and many prior generations were agricultural laborers in Virginia. Their displacement and persistent generational trauma have deeply impacted my life and art. I worked as an illustrator, and then for nearly 20 years, was a primary school teacher. Since retiring, I have focused on ceramic sculpture and painting. My work has been shown at NOMAD, the Hive Gallery, Shoebox Projects, Gallery 825, the Los Angeles Makery, Golden West and Cerritos Colleges, with a solo show at Shoebox in 2025. I live and work in Whittier.
