About the Potter

I have a bachelor's in pottery from Ohio State University. I started doing pottery in the 7th grade after I saw an artist perform a demonstration at a fine crafts fair. My parents found a community program for teens, and I started taking lessons there—learning how to throw, make things by hand, little vases, and things of that nature.

I continued studying pottery throughout high school, taking non-degree community courses at the University of Akron, and later studied Fine Arts in Studio Ceramics at The Ohio State University. Initially, I held down a regular job. However, I'd always wanted to be a potter, so in 2005, I left my office position for the pottery studio.

I make a wide range of items, and I especially like making functional things that people can use every day in their life. I make all kinds of sizes—small to extra-large, and I have four or five color lines that I developed. My pieces invoke the colors and textures of the mountains and rivers of Appalachia in which I live and work.

I make casserole dishes, cups, and saucers, plates, bowls, sugar/honey jars, teapots, as well as cremation urns. They're handmade, personally by me, and they're made for the long-term. This is what stands out about what I make.

I work with my patrons to make sure they get the pieces that they want—quantity, size, styles (I can alter the sizes, or add a lid in the case of a vase). My pieces have been bought by customers in Germany, Singapore, India, Hungary, and Australia in addition to the continental US and Alaska.

AWARDS