Today we watch the same TV shows, see the same movies, read the same books, buy the same clothes, etc. Most of us long for something that will set us apart from the rest. I find my individuality through making pots. One of the things I enjoy about working is making each piece unique--making something that doesn't look like anything I've seen before.

This would be possible in any art medium, but for me, a lot of the joy in producing comes from working with clay and making functional objects. It's challenging to make something that not only looks good but also works well.

Since it's not possible to make something that everyone will agree looks good, I don't even try.  I just try to please myself and hope that there will be people out there who respond to the work.  I like the pure white of porcelain decorated with mixes of bright colors and patterns.  Symbols like spirals, crosses, and circles, stars, and solar disks have been used to communicate ideas since ancient times.  I use them because I like the way they look.  For the same reason, fish, lizards, snakes, insects, and flowers may decorate my pots.

Sometimes things that look really great don't work very well.  For me, function is very important.  Making things that are used in daily life gives me a connection to the people that use them.  It would bother me to make things that were not well suited for their purposes because I personally find it disappointing to use something that doesn't quite work.

It is a challenge to produce well-crafted, unique functional objects.  But any difficulties or frustrations encountered are balanced by the satisfaction derived from seeing others enjoy looking at and using my pots.  

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