I have lived in Interior Alaska since 1985. Much of my work has been influenced by the dichotomies and juxtapositions of rural Alaskan living. I'm particularly interested in exploring the intersections between technology and nature, art and craft, destruction and creation.

Alice In Alaskaland - Ceramic Functional Pieces

These functional ceramic pieces are an exploration of the comfort many people take in creating their home environment, creating connections between themselves, their home and the objects they own and use. This domestic connection creates a sense of control and identity ("my books go here, my coat goes there...."). This control of the personal environment then creates a feeling of safety against the unpredictability and flux of the outside world.

In this series, I explore some of the attitudes and fears which control domestic environments and our behavior within it. This work is intended to provoke personal rituals of domestic disruption, reveal the magical within the mundane, inspire thoughtfulness with the practical and animate the pragmatic with mischievousness.

All work is one of a kind, numbered and artist stamped. All pieces are food, dishwasher and microwave safe, except the pieces with metallic lustres. Those shouldn't be used in the microwave.

1000 Bottles of Solitude - Miniature Bottle Series

(Yes, I've read 100 Years of Solitude. I didn't like the book, I do like the title.)

I decided to make "a couple" small bottles for ceramic glaze testing. "A couple" became "a few" then became "many". I originally called them 100 Bottles of Solitude but changed their title after completing over 200 with endless permutations still in my head. Ultimately, they have taken on a life of their own.

I consider the bottles three dimensional sketches and the entire series a sculptural journal. I particularly enjoy using random events (dropping, throwing or shooting) and domestic items from my daily life (spark plugs, forks, bones), as this allows me to distill that moment in time. Taken out of context and made permanent in high fired ceramic, they become compelling in ways I hadn't planned, expressing the melancholy, whimsy, despair, absurdity or preciousness hidden within the mundane, the common and the every day.

All work is one of a kind, numbered and artist stamped. Bottles are not intended for food use.