>> I DO TWO DIFFERENT BODIES OF WORK, WHICH IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR ARTISTS WHERE THEY WILL WORK IN ONE BODY AND GET CURIOUS AND DEVELOP SOMETHING ELSE.

>> I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A WHEEL THROWING.

FUNCTIONAL WORK, THAT'S WHAT ORIGINALLY DREW ME TO CLAY.

THE HANDLE STUFF IS A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND, BUT I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE THAT CERAMICS IS A SPECTRUM BETWEEN SCULPTURE AND FUNCTION.

AND SO THE HANDBUILT STUFF IS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE.

SO IT REFERENCES VESSELS, BUT IT IS MORE SCULPTURAL.

THEY ARE NOT UTILITARIAN IN THE SENSE THAT SOMEBODY IS GOING TO USE THEM AND SO THEY ARE MORE FOR A VISUAL STATEMENT.

THE HANDLE WORK IS SORT OF IN A PLACE WHERE I USE MECHANICAL LANGUAGE FROM SORT OF NOSTALGIC ITEMS, WATERING CANS, YOU KNOW, OLD OIL FUNNELS, THINGS LIKE THAT YOU SEE IN ANTIQUE SHOPS.

SILOS, YOU KNOW, MUFFLERS ON SIDE OF THE ROAD, THINGS THAT ARE DENTED, BEAT UP.

UM, AND SO, THE WORK IS REFERENCING METAL, USING SIMILAR PROCESSES IN TERMS OF SHEETS OF CLAY AS OPPOSED TO SHEETS OF METAL.

AND THEN THERE IS NO INTEREST IN RE-CREATING THOSE OBJECTS FOR ME SO, IN TERMS OF MAKING IT HYPERREALISM, SO I STARTED USING COLOR AND TEXTURE AND OTHER THINGS TO MAKE THEM MORE EXPRESSIVE, MORE IMAGINATIVE.

>> AND SO I AM FIRST-GENERATION OFF THE FARM, SO THESE OBJECTS IN THE GARAGE GOING UP, THINGS MY DAD HAD SALVAGED AND KEPT, I WAS ALWAYS A TINKERER AS A KID SO FINDING THINGS IN THE BASEMENT, FINDING THINGS IN THE GARAGE THAT I WOULD PLAY WITH, BUILD, YOU KNOW, MAKE MY OWN BOW AND ARROWS, THINGS LIKE THAT.

SO I WAS ALWAYS BUILDING STUFF.

AND SO, WHEN YOU START THINKING ABOUT BUILDING, AS A CLAY ARTIST, YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THE PROCESS IS.

SO THE POTTER'S WHEEL SOLVES THAT.

YOU CENTER THE CLAY, YOU THROW THE POT.

UM, BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO HANDBUILD, YOU THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ARE YOU COILING, ARE YOU SLAB BUILDING?

SO, THESE OBJECTS PROVIDE NOT JUST SORT OF AN INSPIRATION IN TERMS OF BEING INTERESTING FORMS, BUT SORT OF A ROADMAP FOR HOW TO BUILD VERTICAL FORMS AND START WORKING WITH VESSELS, HOLLOW OBJECTS, SEAMS, RIVETS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, UM, TO BUILD COMPLEX FORMS.

AND USING CLAY SLURRY AND SCORE AND SLIPPING RATHER THAN, YOU KNOW, WELDING AND ALL THAT.

AND WHEN I FIRST STARTED THIS BODY OF WORK, I HAD ALL THESE PHOTOS OF, YOU KNOW, PEELING PAINT, RUSTING METAL, THINGS THAT WERE FALLING APART.

I DIDN'T WANT PLASTIC-LOOKING FORMS.

I WANTED SOMETHING THAT WERE AGED AND METAL.

SO THE TEXTURING IS PART OF THE PROCESS THAT HAPPENS WHEN THE CLAY IS STILL SOFT.

AND IT IS JUST RUBBING CONCRETE AGGREGATE ALL OVER THE SURFACE TO PIT IT TO MAKE IT LOOK DINGED UP AND AGED.

AND THEN I PUT A COPPER OXIDE WASH ON AND SPONGE IT AWAY SO IT STAYS IN ALL THOSE CREVICES.

AND THEN THAT BURNS THROUGH SO IT CREATES SOMETHING THAT HAS SOME DEPTH TO IT, SOMETHING THAT LOOKS LIKE IT'S BEEN WELL LOVED OR FORGOTTEN, YOU KNOW, EITHER ONE, GIVING IT THE LOOK THAT IT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS JUST MANUFACTURED HAS ALWAYS BEEN INTERESTING TO ME.

>> I STARTED WITH WHEEL THROWING SO I WAS INTERESTED IN MAKING, UM, VESSELS THAT WERE UTILITARIAN, MEANT TO BE USED EVERY DAY.

UM, I'VE NEVER GIVEN UP THAT INTEREST.

I STILL DO THAT ALL THE TIME.

BUT WHEN I STARTED THINKING ABOUT DEVELOPING NEW WORK, I THOUGHT, WELL, I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE THAT FULLY BEHIND BUT I NEED TO DO SOMETHING THAT IS DEFINITELY DIFFERENT.

UM.

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY INTERESTED IN VESSELS AND, UM, CERAMICS IS LARGELY ABOUT VESSELS.

UH, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THE TEAPOT IS SORT OF A CONTENT AREA, JUST LIKE A LANDSCAPE IS OR A PORTRAIT IS FOR A PAINTER.

SO, UH, WHEN I STARTED WORKING ON THESE NEWER FORMS, I THOUGHT THEY NEED TO BE VESSELS, BUT THEY DON'T NEED TO BE UTILITARIAN.

THEY CAN LOOK FUNCTIONAL, THEY CAN LOOK FUNKY, THEY CAN BE STRANGE, BUT THEY NEED TO REFERENCE THIS OTHER IMAGINATIVE, EXPRESSIVE SIDE OF WORK THAT I AM TRYING TO DEVELOP.

AND SO, TAKING THE METAL LANGUAGE AS SORT OF A STARTING POINT AND PUTTING IT THROUGH THE FILTER OF MY CREATIVITY AND THE MATERIALS AND COMING OUT THE OTHER END WITH SOMETHING YOU CAN SEE THE CONNECTION, BUT IT HAS BEEN PUT THROUGH A MIXER.

UM, IT COMES OUT THE OTHER END AS SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

>> ARTISTS RARELY HAVE JUST ONE LANE, RIGHT, UM THAT THEY MOVE BACK AND FORTH.

SOMETIMES THEY MOVE FROM MEDIA TO MEDIA OR THEY MOVE WITHIN A CERTAIN MEDIA.

SO, UH, THE WHEEL THROWING WORK AND THE HANDLE WORK SERVE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS IN MY SORT OF CREATIVE LIFE.

THE HANDLE WORK, UM, IS SLOWER.

UM, IT'S QUIETER.

IT'S MORE UNIQUE.

EACH PIECE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE ITS OWN LITTLE BEING.

I AM NOT TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, CREATE THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, LIKE YOU DO WITH THE POTTER'S WHEEL.

UM, SO I THINK, OVER, YOU KNOW, 25, 26 YEARS OF WORKING, IT'S BEEN VERY HELPFUL TO HAVE BOTH --BOTH OF THOSE, UM, ASPECTS OF MY CREATIVE LIFE BEING FULFILLED.

SOMETHING THAT IS VERY --I CAN CRANK OUT 25 COFFEE MUGS AND FEEL LIKE I'VE GOT A WHOLE LOT DONE, OR I CAN SPEND TWO OR THREE HOURS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET A SPOUT AND PUT A HANDLE ON A PIECE.

EITHER ONE OF THOSE, IF I DO ONE OF THEM FOR TOO LONG, I START KIND OF GETTING BOGGED DOWN AND I HAVE TO KIND OF JUMP OVER TO THE OTHER THING.

I THINK IT HELPS LOOSEN UP THE ROCKS IN MY HEAD A LITTLE BIT.