I’ve loved clay from the moment I first touched it 20 years ago. It stole me away from a career I had pursued since college, and like any great love, the attraction grows stronger with time. My first teacher and mentor, Judy Glasser, upon seeing my initial enthusiasm, encouraged me to further my studies with potters whose work I admired in magazines and galleries.

Soon I was attending every clay class I could afford. I was eventually hired to manage the ceramics studio at Parsons School of Design where I began my Master’s Degree studies. In 1991 I was invited to Japan, to attend the International Workshop for Ceramic Art (IWCAT) in Tokoname. I lived with a Japanese family and spent my days making pottery, visiting museums and watching master potters at work. Clay was everywhere I went ... the sidewalks were made with pottery shards, the roofs were bright blue ceramic tile, brown clay pipes stood like hundreds of soldiers in front of pipe factories, kiln chimneys dotted the horizon and houses were built on foundations of clay sake jugs! I had never before seen clay used in so many ways. This experience influenced my definition of art and how it can touch our lives.

Returning to Parsons to finish my Master’s Degree, I had the great fortune to study with some wonderful artists including Frank Giorgini, who taught me tile making and introduced me to the public art field. In 1997 I completed my first large commission for the New York MTA, which was to create four murals for the NYC Subway system. This won for me the Design Excellence Award from the New York Arts Commission and led to more public artwork and eventually led me to write Ceramic Art Tile (Schiffer Books).

My position at Parsons evolved into Coordinator of the Continuing Education Ceramic Program, and I realized the great pleasure of teaching my passion for clay to others. When Parsons dropped its clay program in 1999, I moved to New Jersey to pursue more promising teaching venues and start For Love Of Mud Pottery. I also realized my long-sought dream of building a wood kiln. This ancient way of firing first captured my imagination in Japan, and continues to influence my work (for more on this, click on Wood Kiln).

Working with clay has had a profound effect on my life. I’m still enamored by its versatility and expressiveness, and will continue to use it to create art and share these experiences with my students. At the end of the day, clay remains my passion and medium of choice.