Thank you for visiting my pottery website and welcome!
I love pots; handmade pots made of clay. I make pots and I collect pots. The pots that I love are high-fired stoneware or porcelain. They are functional. They are made to be used on a daily basis. They are works of art that we interact with intimately.
I made my first pottery on the wheel in 1975 and continued making pots while pursuing an academic career in science. I have become a potter since retiring from academia. For the past seven years I have been located in the Sandy Mush area of Madison County, North Carolina as a potter and a small-farm farmer.
What I make from clay is what I like to use. This includes mugs, goblets, bowls, drums, fermentation crocks, and other functional forms. I favor classical designs and earthy glazes. My work has been described as “good honest pots”.
My current work focuses on functional stoneware fired either in an electric kiln or in a wood-fired kiln. The glazes I choose are earthy. They run and retain their active, flowing look on the finished piece. Parts of my pots are often left unglazed to emphasize the visual and tactile contrast of the glazed and unglazed surface. Some of my pots are decorated with subtle carving. The designs include elements inspired by my home in Western North Carolina: mountains, cabins, trees, and dancing figures.
I have been making ceramic drums for ten years. The drums have natural goatskin heads and represent the classic Doumbek-style ceramic drum that has been played in the middle east and northern Africa for thousands of years.
You can see and purchase my pottery at art shows in the Marshall/Asheville area. You can usually find me at shows sponsored by the Madison County Arts Council and other regional art and craft shows. In season I am often set up with a limited selection of pots at Sunday on the Island in Marshall. This is the outdoor market on Blannahassett Island 12 to 4 PM every Sunday.
While I have been a serious potter since 1998, I have also worn other hats including college biology professor, science researcher, university administrator, and Dad. I moved to Marshall, NC (Sandy Mush) in 2012 with my wife, a ball python, and a cat (recently deceased). We have since acquired a flock of chickens. I play some music and work on our land here in Marshall in addition to creating pottery.