The role of the hand and the origin of materials are central to my thinking. Gesture and touch guide my process, imparting a sense of immediacy and subtlety in telluric materials formed in geologic time.

My work is driven by transformation and by a desire to evoke wonder through the exploration of material intelligence. In recent work, I focus on locally harvested clay from Long Island and Central New York. The ceramic medium has a porous surface which can absorb and filter, both physically and metaphorically, containing a rich history of culture, place, and geologic time. I investigate the conceptual and aesthetic potential of this material through creating ceramic water filters, ceramic casts from erosion topographies, clay prints that leave a delicate trace, and paper soil chromatograms that can provide insights into soil health and build agency for soil and community.

I experiment with and build using clay that I harvest near my home on Long Island and near where I teach in Central New York, between which my time and life are divided. Duality lies at the core of my approach: between art and science, and the handmade and manufactured. Chemistry and geology intersect my studio practice, influenced by undergraduate study of science. This duality informs my exploration of form and generative studio processes, embracing both geometry and organic structure with the language of my work.

While I often establish parameters to guide the development of a series or body of work, intuition remains essential in shaping texture, form, scale, and color. Although some of my earlier work was more painterly, it is important to me that the sculptures occupy the same physical space as our bodies. Sculpture requires a viewer in motion and is never fully available visually. I am drawn to this elusive and mysterious quality, and hope to engage the viewer’s curiosity while also offering a sense of familiarity.