About the Artist

As a small child I have, since I can remember, always had a thing for the mud. Some of my earliest memories is making mud pies with my sister in the back yard. My mom couldn't keep grass, and eventually she made compromises that left us with a 'mud' area so she could grow grass in the rest of the yard. The first time I ever got into trouble in school, was about 2nd grade. I had used my spoon from lunch to dig a hole in which I found some dark Grey clay. Finding the clay I dug with more vigor until I had a nice sized ball of it. I was called to the office for digging the hole, where I sat playing with the cool wet clay. There is something relaxing and comfortable about clay, molding it into something beautiful or useful, gives me a feeling of peace. I often ponder when sculpting if God himself sculpted Earth’s creatures with clay. Okay, enough about my childhood obsessions.
     As an adult I moved to Virginia from California, I wondered for years if the beautiful red ground that ended up more often than not in my carpet, was usable clay. We live on property with a small river running through it, where we used to take the kids and play. This is where I discovered a dark Grey clay body. Literally the clay balls would roll down the river.                 After my divorce during the worst possible financial time the country has seen in my lifetime. I started really looking for something I could do and be with my kids. I had previously sold hot tubs, traveling to do so. The Spas were not doing real well and traveling, leaving my kids to still not make enough for the bills was frustrating to say the least. The kids were coming into teenage years and I found needed me more than ever, it was time to find something I could do at home.
      Meanwhile I met a wonderful man, who cared for me and knows me sometimes better than I know myself. I had been looking for jobs and really trying to find something right for me, and for my kids. Seeing my struggle and knowing that I had always said pottery and sculpture would be my ideal work.         One day he called me over to the computer to look at an auction with 3 kilns, a wheel and several molds. It was over $1000.00 and there was no way I could afford it. I was totally awed by him searching auctions to make my dream job a reality, it was so out of the blue. I kept hearing “Let go, Let God” and had the hardest time following that. This time I did. We decided that if the auction did not sell we would offer $700.00 for it all. I was doubtful that it would happen, but decided if it was meant to be God would see to it. We got the full auction for $700.00! God had truly put his hand in my life. Or maybe I had just put my life in His hands. Now that I have let God in he guides me daily. Working with my clay is something I feel so at peace with, it feels like putting on a glove that fits just right.
      I started also experimenting with the clay here on the property to test it's usability to sculpt and do wheel work with. It is a usable clay body. When I made pinch pots from my 2 different clays and fired them, I was shocked to see the gray color clay turned flesh colored. I started entertaining the idea of using the stark contrast of the natural clay in my wheel work. As a result Harmony was created. Nature had given me something beautiful, natural, they seemed to swirl as if they were meant to do so.

Processing the clay

Processing the clay takes some time, I am sure it would be easier and more convenient to go buy clay from a supply store, though not as rewarding. The clay is dug from the ground anywhere form a few inches below the surface (red clay bodies) to 5 feet below the surface (Grey clay bodies).

We then break it up into small chunks and let it dry in the sun. Once dry it is reduced to a powder, to do this step we 'now' use a machine we made ourselves. (pounding it in a bag with a hammer was very time consuming and a bit rough on the body)

Once powdered we sift it with a 50 mesh screen to get the impurities, roots and sand out of the usable clay. This makes a smooth even consistency when used on the wheel.
The powder is re-hydrated with water and mixed evenly until the clay is of the right moisture content.

Our clay is then allowed to sit for 2-3 weeks to age. Aging helps bond the clay particles together. Once aged each piece of clay is wedged 100 times to be sure there are no air pockets. Then finally the clay can be used for wheel and/or sculpture work.
In many of our pieces we use a mixture of bought clay and our own clay bodies. We do this for greater range of colors. Most of our sculpture mugs and special orders are done with a bought white clay to better show brightness of glaze colors.