Brown and white nerikomi cup with a copper red glaze.
I create ceramic pieces by layering clay bodies into patterns of contrasting colors and textures. This technique is called Nerikomi, a word that comes from Japanese ceramic traditions.
Checker patterned nerikomi block. This block uses rough, iron-heavy clay and porcelain.
I make vessels for ceremonial use. I design them to hold offerings. They are tactile and simple, emphasizing natural colors and intuitive forms.
Soda-fired altar dish in a nerikomi checker pattern with shino-style glaze.Soda-fired altar dishes in a marbled clay with a white shino-style glaze.
My works are often fired in reduction. I’m interested in atmospheric kilns, like soda and salt kilns. These processes cause variation and create very unique pieces.
Soda-fired altar dishes in a nerikomi stripe pattern with a glassy crazed glaze.Soda-fired altar dish in a nerikomi stripe pattern with crazed shino-style glaze.
I prefer simple, shino-style glazes. They give a dynamic response to different clay bodies and firing processes.
Soda-fired tea cup in a nerikomi checker pattern with white shino-style glaze.Soda-fired square-shaped vase with a nerikomi checker pattern with a grey shino-style glaze. Soda-fired square-shaped vase with a nerikomi checker pattern with a white shino-style glaze. Soda-fired double-vase with a nerikomi checker pattern with a white shino-style glaze.
Recently, I have begun to develop my own glaze recipes using wood ash.
Wood ash glaze test tiles. These tests use the the same recipe, but using two different types of ash. Different sources of ash result in huge color variation!
