I spent my childhood near the gulf coast of Texas. I learned to water ski and skateboard at a young age. When I was thirteen I began to surf at Surfside beach. I have always appreciated nature and art. Now I am enjoying snowboarding as much as anything I’ve ever done.
After attending college for a year and a half I was required to take a certain amount of studio courses to fulfill my teaching degree requirements. I took ceramics and fell in love with clay and the people who also love it. It wasn’t long before I changed my major from teaching to ceramics. I was in Denton at the University of North Texas, the farthest I had ever been from the coast. I developed a way of altering my pottery that reminds me of sitting in the ocean waiting to catch a wave. My longing for the waves made its appearance in my ceramic work. I worked for a production potter for a year after receiving my B.F.A. in ceramics from UNT. I decided production work was not for me and that I wanted to go back to school. I had some of the best times in graduate school over the next three and a half years. I received a Master’s degree in ceramics and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida to be a resident artist at St. Pete Clay Co. I made some great work and friends there, but wasn’t in love with the area. After two years in Florida I moved to Flagstaff, Arizona and spent four years as an outdoor guide. I made pottery, but I always had to transport it to a kiln. At the International Wood Fire Conference in Flagstaff I met a guy with a wood burning kiln in New Mexico. I would drive three hours and spend a few days out there with no running water or electricity in a sand bag house, tent or my truck and fire the kiln. I moved to Colorado in June of 2010. This was the first time I’ve had a fully functioning studio at my home. I missed Arizona and moved back to Flagstaff in October 2011 with the girl I love, Emily, who helps inspire me. I make work on a daily basis and have a kiln at my old house in Flagstaff. I now have my old job back as a guide at Pink Jeep Tours in Sedona.
I feel my work is a celebration of the ceramic process. I like to exploit the natural qualities of clay and hope that people can recognize that it was once a malleable material. I strive to create unique work with lots of character that functions exceptionally. Expressing myself through clay is one of the best parts of my life and I hope you enjoy the pieces.