What do you most hope students will take away from your class?

Confidence in various techniques of both hand-building and wheel-throwing. I feel that I have been a successful instructor if my students walk away with a feeling of accomplishment. I really enjoy seeing the look of pride on their faces during our final critiques; when it really hits them, when they see just they’ve built in clay.

How do you approach students who find creating or studying art difficult?

I work with them on a personal level. I hope to meet them right where they are on their journey of being a creator of art.

What is your favorite technique or topic to teach? Is there one lecture or selection that is the most fun for you to teach?

Architectural ceramics      

  How would you describe your workspace? How has your practice changed during quarantine?

My workspace is minimal. I love using just the tools and materials that I have around me. This worked to my benefit during the pandemic because I ended up being stuck in Germany, and only had a small laundry room in our house to use. I made do, working with what I could find or had close to me.

Is there another medium or area of research that you have always wanted to explore?

Silk screening on clay surfaces.

What types of books do you read? What are you reading now and/or what is one of the most treasured books on your bookshelf?

Joseph Campbell!      

Name a place that you’ve traveled to, but feel like you need to go back to because you didn’t have enough time there.

Paris. I was living there with my family when the pandemic hit in the Spring of 2020. We had to leave prematurely. I hope to go back one day when things settle and finish the artwork I started there.

What do you like to do for fun?

Hike and camp with my family    

Is there something that only people that know you really well would know?

I’m a huge Bob Dylan fan

What skills and abilities make a good teacher?

Listening, patience, and empathy

What is your superpower?

According to my daughter my super power is that I am always ready for anything. I think this means that I am skilled at being spontaneous and I like adventure.

How do you most make an impact?

Through connections with people. Offering and receiving knowledge is how we grow as a society. This is a vital role of visual artists, in my humble opinion.

Describe some of your former projects, do you see a common thread that connects them?

I have done a few public art installations. The common thread that connects them is they are large-scale. They have a dramatic presence and are meant to evoke a type of mystical communication with the viewer. I love working on large-scale projects because it requires working together with a community of people. I enjoy my quiet days alone in my studio but the energy exchange of working as a team is where the magic happens.