I have been doing ceramics for over 15 years, throughout school and then in my own studio. Nearly all of my work is produced in my studio but I also am involved with two community art centers in Illinois. I share a studio with two other artists at Water Street Studios in Batavia. Our studio is dedicated to all the supporting tools we need for our art (wood working tools, a large photo booth, and massive amounts of drying space). I also take continuing education classes at Fine Line Community Arts center in St Charles. Our classes allow us to experiment with new methods we wouldn’t typically try in our own studios and be exposed to new techniques.
My home studio is equipped with a potter’s wheel, a slab roller, and four kilns. My primary kiln is a Skutt 1018 although I have both larger and smaller kilns that I use when needed. I use my large kiln, a paragon, for large crystalline vases (up to about 32” tall).
I’ve dabbled in many types of clay but now use stoneware clay bodies for all my pieces. The stoneware’s I use are durable, robust clay bodies that work well for both throwing and hand building. I learned how to throw in high school while college taught all the basics of hand building. Now, I enjoy both and am thankful I learned both so I can tailor the technique to the piece.
My studio also has all my glaze materials and mixing supplies. I mix all my own glazes from raw materials and enjoy experimenting and creating new glazes and colors. My two favorite glazes in my glaze arsenal are the liner gray and the crystalline glazes. The grey glaze took hundreds of trials to finally reach a glaze color I enjoyed and was still durable enough for everyday use. The crystalline glazes have been a more recent (2018) journey. They peaked my interest for the science and chemistry required in yielding good results. I’ve been hooked ever since.
I sell my ceramics in local Batavia shops, galleries in Illinois, and at markets and fairs. If you’d like to come see pieces in person, I can send you a list of upcoming events.
A few things about me and my pieces:
• An item is food safe unless it specifically says otherwise. For example, crystalline on the outside of a dishware piece is food safe but, if it’s on the interior, it is not.
• An item is dishwasher safe unless it specifically says otherwise. For the longevity of any handmade ceramic piece, I do suggest handwashing!
• I make a LOT of pieces. I truly enjoy ceramics and the love to create new pieces. If you have an idea for a piece and don’t see it, please message me! I’m also more than happy to make custom orders for specific color combinations or size.