About Me
I have been working in clay since 2006. It all started with meeting my husband and deciding to permanently move to Canada. I had to wait for my permanent residency for about one year, during which I wasn't able to work and therefore decided to dedicate myself completely to what I love most – being creative. I filled my days with painting, writing, wood work and discovered pottery along the way. I became a member of the Prince George Potters Guild and enrolled in a couple of classes offered by the organization. I quickly became fascinated by the meditative nature of working with clay, the things that it continues to teach me, and the endless ways of creatively applying its use, which resulted in the continuation of producing wheel thrown and hand build pottery ever since. Besides creating functional dinnerware, decorative vessels, sculptures and masks, I have been exploring ways of crafting jewelry, wall murals, tiles and home fixtures such as sinks, clocks and lamps from stoneware and porcelain.
Since June 2009, with the support of my husband, I have been working as a full time ceramic artist out of my studio and gallery in the beautiful Bulkley Valley. My work is strongly influenced by patterns and forms derived from nature and the feminine, as I am constantly inspired by the beauty of mother earth.
I am using slip application, carving and wax resist techniques as well as vibrant glaze colour applications to define and enhance the surface of my pottery. All pieces are fired with the use of a electric Kiln in a oxidation atmosphere to 1220 'C.
I strive to produce pottery that has a sense of strength and stability, as well as a certain vitality, flow and aliveness. Equally important to me is the satisfaction of creating work which honours, celebrates and embraces daily life and enhances the feeling of harmony within our living environment.
M.C. Richards, a well known American poet, potter and writer has said, “If we can stay ‘on center’ and look with clear seeing eyes and compassionate hearts at what we have done, we may advance in self-knowledge and in knowledge of our materials and of the world in its larger concerns.”
I think that we come to better know ourselves through the images we create and the actions we are taking as they are a manifestation of our conscious and subconscious intentions. Life at large then seems to be but a creative playground offering endless opportunities to explore the essence of our being, which I believe is of an ever evolving, spiritual nature. Through creating pottery and reflecting on its many metaphorical aspects, I have been both inspired and challenged by themes such as balance, measures of beauty and harmony, freedom, boundaries and limitations, expectations, attachment and transformation. It is in working with clay, pigment and in poetry that I come to understand the importance of honouring the creative process above all, including challange and satisfaction equally. I feel then, that when we put pure intentions into every step along our path, outcomes will be a direct reflection of those objectives, as I believe, that in each moment we express what comes from the heart, we touch beauty.
