"I thought I knew, I thought I heard, too bad I'm not a better listenener..."
 
I made a lot of mugs this launch, more than I ever have before. More than I have in my whole life and out of all of them, this is by far my favorite. I think I may have spent more time on this piece than any other from the launch and it shows. It's thoughtful and purposeful composition that nearly covers the entire piece is one of the most "me" pieces I've made in quite some time. I love to have fun with my work, experiment, and try new things otherwise I end up in what I call a creative loop or lull. I end up recycling previous imagery and end up stuck in a style. To prevent this from happening and to keep the studio lively and filled with nuances to keep me stimulated and moving "forward" artistically. This piece is just that. It exists within the context of the over 100 pieces that came before it in this style. With little nuance but rather a continuation of a growing concept and style that I feel devlops new meaning with each piece added. I hope you find this piece as powerful and perfect as I. 
 
This collection is comprised of both old habits and new experimentation. I've spent the past 4 months working on paintings, prints, and a secret collection (soon to come!) Having all of this time away from the clay studio and instead infront of a canvas or with a pen in hand naturally created some noticeable changes in my ceramic work and the purpose I see it serving. I had 4 months to unlearn what I had taught myself and known as a ceramicist and I'm finding a new joy, curiousity and sense of playfulness with these pieces. Some work may appear more childlike and whimsical others more mature and serene. Collectively these works create a book, each page (mug, bowl, vessel, etc.) a new thought, feeling, phrase or idea. Each of these pieces is informed by all of the 2D work I've been working on behind the scenes for the past 4 months and is done withought planning, rather an innate emotion and necessity to share and the permanence of ceramics allows for these pages, pieces, ideas and emotions live on past me.
 
This piece was in fact made with the natural clay bodies I harvest by hand from the forest behind my house! Part of why I spent 4 months away from pottery was because my forest has recently been deforested for what I later learned was merely profit because we have a national wood shortage and prices are higher than ever. Going into the the forest to harvest clay before snowfall and trying to make pieces out of the same forest that I felt already had so many of its rights violated, felt wrong. Taking more (clay) from a forest that already had so much taken without it have a say, felt wrong. I know what I'm doing is special and I hope that my work reminds others to appreciate the beauty of their own environment, including the literal earth (dirt/clay) they walk on. Nonetheless making work during this incredibly emotional time was challenging. So I hope if you do take one of these pieces home you appreciate it as I do.
 
Dimensions
Height: 5in.
Width: 6in.
Length: 6in.