Clay Statement

Whether it is the way light falls upon weathered wood or the tension of a line made by a crack in the sidewalk, the influence of environment and the texture it produces are evident in my work.

I take what the clay gives me, and try not to impose my will on the clay.  I am most interested in textures that are the result of erosion. The effects of wind and water on the slit canyons of Utah are no more or less interesting to me than the fissures created on city streets by the constant pounding of trucks and cars. Each shares the same aesthetic value.

The work is hand-built to achieve the forms and surface textures, and even though the work has taken on a more sculptural quality, it remains within the ceramic tradition of the vessel. The role that clay objects have played in ritual intrigues me. Even the act of creating has a ritual-like quality that begins with slabs of clay formed by being thrown against the studio floor and ends with the ritual of birth by fire.

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The artist has been involved in art education for most of his life.  He served as art department chair in a Los Angeles high school; has been a consultant to the Getty Education Institute; appears frequently as a guest speaker at state conferences on art and education and recently was Director of Education at Hollywood Entertainment Museum, where he ran an arts education program for at-risk youth.