My love of clay began as a child. Camping trips were always a good time to search riverbanks for coloured stones and dig up natural clays. I remember begging my parents for a toy potter’s wheel, which, to my great surprise, didn’t work very well. Finally at the ripe old age of twelve my mom enrolled me into an adult wheel throwing class. I loved it and to this day my mother still uses some of the serving dishes I made way back then.
As I grew my focus in the arts took me on a journey far from the world of pottery. Everywhere I looked there was some new material to create with and I had to try them all. In the early eighties I set off from my home in Calgary to attend art school in Vancouver. My first three years of training were in graphic design and illustration. I lived in Vancouver for the next 20 years enjoying the city and being inspired by the West Coast culture. I worked in a variety of different areas in the arts. I started out working in the field of graphics but soon ventured into painting. From there I moved into display design, on to the theatre, decorative finishing, and retro sign painting. I also opened an antique store before returning to college to study Fine Art. It was there that I came back to my childhood love of clay. I rediscovered that spark of inspiration when I realized that clay has the ability to take on any form. It gives me the freedom to express myself whether I’m creating pots for function, or a piece of art.
I was fortunate to spend three years working at the Gallery of BC Ceramics on Granville Island where I was immersed in pottery and exposed to a wealth of work by some of BC's most accomplished potters. It served as a catalyst to lead me further along my path. In the spring of 2004 Mark and I moved to Sorrento, set up a pottery and began to work full time as studio potters.
Since then we have been working on our line of functional pottery.
Getting back into clay has turned me onto the rich history of the crafts and the life handmade objects bring into our society. I enjoy making pots for the kitchen and everyday use. The pots become little pieces of art that invite interaction. As a mater of fact, it’s the using of them that completes them. As I work I strive to keep the energy of the making process in my pots. I want each piece to have it’s own unique character to enhance the food or drink it’s made for.