My attraction to clay began when I saw a potter demonstrating at an outdoor fesival. That day, at about 7 years old, I declared that I wanted to be a potter. A few years later I made a small clay bird at a museum camp; I can still remember the feel of the finished bird in my hand.

I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and my Master of Fine Arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. I spent several years making and showing my work before starting a family. Returning to this material now, I am delighted to find the same joy I found at each earlier encounter.

Faces with eyes closed painted onto large egg-shaped forms began my investigation into both the internal landscape of self, and the hollow of the clay form. The space inside a clay head is captivating - like a cave or a rabbit hole, a storage or hiding place, a secret garden; calling the viewer to the place of thought, memory, dream, and introspection.

Visual metaphors can suggest a story, concept, or question that would otherwise be cumbersome. Sometimes the juxtaposition of images gives meaning; sometimes an image brings connotations, like the monkey or the crow.

While our internal landscape of thoughts and beliefs shapes the way we experience life; conversely, our experiences color our internal world. The play between interior and exterior is where I find the richest potential, both philosophically, and with the physical clay form.