I actually had a dream about this piece, so I wanted to create it. My dream took place in the Alaskan wilderness…there were different paths in the woods and I was hiking. There were lots of animals in the dream as well. When I got into the pottery studio I made the round pot and then started attaching the clay paths…and i saw the antler in a drawer with feathers and shells…I thought the antler handle tied the piece together. The small shells as accents by the rim just seemed to fit. I had a lot of fun creating this piece.

I have made several pieces where I’ve enjoyed carving out geometric patterns in the pot’s surface…this is my favorite so far. I really planned out the form on the wheel and I think the diamond patterning and deep carving makes the piece stand out visually. It took a lot of specific pattern planning, and hours of carving to get this effect on the entire vessel. I think the carved peace make the glazes really come to life in rich blues, greens and browns.

I do a lot of sculptural clay work and recently have been exploring coil forms. I really like playing with the element of balance with coils, making the pots look like they are leaning or turning…creating the hint of movement in a solid form. This piece reminded me of the movement of water, like rivers merging. I also like leaving openings in the piece, so light dances in and around the pot.

As an AP 3-D student this year I have really enjoyed working with my concentration: stacked wheel-thrown pots with thick slip design. I love the challenge of creating evenly crafted and measured stacked forms on the wheel, and then decorating the forms on the outside with thick slip designs and patterns for the glazes to dance around on. As far as the glazing goes, I love the process of spraying 4-8 layers of glazes in different combinations to create different effects. On this piece I love that from a distance it reads like antique browns and olives, but up close it shows rich hues of browns, purples, blues, greens and sandy tans.