REMEMBERING ROCHEFORT

Pieces from the Remembering Rochefort series are based on sketching done from vintage photographs I found during an artist residency in Brittany.  Clutching a sturdy purse, the figure wears an exaggerated traditional Breton toque that interacts with the edge of each bowl, plate, dish or platter. In some pieces the toque is less like Marge Simpson’s hair and more like a dog’s tail reacting to her mood. Many pieces were embellished with mock seals and crests on the rim. In various private collections in Washington, DC, Baltimore, Annapolis, MD, Hunt Valley, MD, Stockton, NJ and Lennox, MA.

LOGJAM

It all started one summer at a Lotta Jansdotter workshop on the Åland Islands. I made a linocut of a dancing log that later became greeting cards and enamel pins. But that wasn’t enough. The texture of wood is fascinating and I wanted to go 3D! LogJam mugs have a strong tactile quality that is the result of using wax-resist to create the interpreted bark design. These mags have been made in brown on white body for a more traditional feel, and white on white body for a more modern feel.

IMAGINARY LONDON

Have you ever noticed how certain streets in London are named after their ancient function? The Imaginary London design takes this idea one step further for a good laugh! Take an imaginary and winding walk from Tea Cup Place over to Pipe Tobacco Court which dead ends at Button Up Way. If you’re hungry, we can meet at the intersection of Lower Toast Court and Marmalade Alley! Imaginary London [just like the real London] is a marvelous place in which to get lost! Pieces shown are in various private collections.

BIRDWARE

The BirdWare series was designed in 2 versions: one has fine line details of a tree [literally etched into the underglaze]; the other is a more modern design just using the bird from the original design. Both are rendered in a beautiful black & white glaze! Variations on the modern version include a vase in underglaze pencil with a bright orange color-block interior [click right on carousel], and a version with clear glaze birds accented with gold luster and bright yellow interior. In various private collections in Baltimore, MD and Philadelphia, PA.

NIGHT GARDEN

This one-of-a-kind stoneware vase was beautifully thrown by Janine D’Adamo with the pattern wax-resist painted by yours truly. A variation of this design using black underglaze pencil on ceramic cups was the 2nd design life, followed next in colors, painted on pitchers, bowls and creamers, and printed on cloth pillows and tea towels. Color name like Ginger, Lime and Watermelon make me think of a cool summer evening. The original Night Garden vase is in the collection of illustrator Salli Swindell, others in collection in Baltimore, MD.

SNAKEWARE

I have a method of finding hidden gems in artwork previously done. The snake on SnakeWare is one of those. It appeared in a pencil drawing I have made into a giclée print.The interlocking snakes remind me of a Celtic knot that gains vibrance when repeated into a pattern. Intertwined snakes are symbols of fertility, wisdom, and healing, and of sun gods. Snakes are powerfully meaningful creatures seen represented in cultures from the Aztecs to the jews escaping Egypt. Recognized as a very strong graphic symbol, I’ve interpreted the design on clay and cloth including pitchers, pins and pillows. Shown here are one-of-a-kind or limited editions from various private collections in Baltimore, MD and Boulder, CO.

KITTY CUPS

Dressed in their finest frocks, Kitty Kups have 5 portraits of cats in clothes. I was inspired by early 20th century book of photographs by Harry Whittier Frees who produced numerous photographs of kittens [and pups] dressed and posed performing everyday human tasks. On my Kitty Kups, the kittens have agency. They show off their moods, some feel fancy, some forlorned. Each portrait is hand-etched into the black underglaze on espresso sized cups [with saucer, of course]. In various private collections in Detroit, MI and New York, NY.

EMPTY FRAMES

When I rummage through vintage shops, I’m always finding empty frames. They make me wonder what sort of picture was previously in it and what the future possibilities will be. Sometimes empty frame want to be just as they are, offering the possibility to imagine something new each to you look at it! In a private collection in Detroit, MI.

BEEWARE

I love bees and all that they do for us! In tribute to bees, I designed these pieces celebrating their great graphicness. To date this is the only series where I made children’s mugs along with tiny bowls, creamers and small pitchers. That decision just seemed right. The pitcher is just right as a flower vase. I love seeing how pieces normally used for one use gets employed for another. It’s really up to you to decide their purpose. In private collections in Baltimore, MD, New York, NY, and Los Angeles, CA.

STITCHED BIRDWARE

From a true love of how elegant birds are this pattern was born. The applique pillows happened first after I’d ordered fabric with the bird and tree design on it. It arrived printed too small to make tea towels. What to do!?! My solution was to make linen pillow cases in yellow and beige then enlarge the bird silhouette as a template and appliqué the shapes onto the pillows! Nothing wasted and everything gained. My grandmother, who was a master of remaking one thing into another, would be so proud. The dish designs followed making the pillows. I hand drew tiny hash marks mimicking the stitched effect of the appliqué. Work shown is inn private collections in Detroit, MI, Austin, TX, and Baltimore, MD.

METAWARE

After sketching in the ceramic collections at the Baltimore Museum of Art, I began drawing outlines of the various pottery onto vellum and then transferred them onto the clay bodies. So many wonderful shapes of these historic vessels! Drawing pitchers onto plates—it was all so meta—and so the name of this series was born! Pieces shown here are in private collections in Providence, RI, and Baltimore, MD.

GARDENWARE

My head is always full of plants and trees. The 50x100’ plot that our 1919 Arts & Crafts bungalow sits on is just as full. The GardenWare design came directly from this love of plants and the love of thinking about plants, the literal window into the universe’s soul! Gardens are constant reminders of change and the need to accept it as it comes. My favorite parts of this design are the pieces of colorful debris arranged outside the head. Their colors are especially nice when seen against the bright orange color-blocked interior of the vase. In private collections in Providence, RI, and Baltimore, MD.

KILLER BEES

Remember the scares in the 1990s about killer bees from South America entering North America? Lots of media frothing happened, but we soon discovered the scary name was appropriate. We have biologist Warwick E. Kerr to thank for creating the Africanized honeybee, a more aggressive bee than the European honeybee [they had to be :(]. Their aggression was a result of predators in their environment. I made this design, which includes an arrow head crest for these audacious anthophila, on a tall white pitcher with cool green interior. The pitcher contrasts with the small hot red dishes as the canvases for this idea. Beyond these pieces, the same swarming pattern was printed on cloth tea towels and napkins. Pieces shown here are in private collections in Baltimore, MD.

OWLWARE

From the OwlWare series, “The Cosmopolitans” was created for a group exhibition at Gallery Nucleus, Pasadena, CA. The exhibition was part of the part of The Illustration Conference (ICON). The title of this multi-plate installation was taken from the World Atlas description of true or typical owl habitation, calling it “cosmopolitan distribution” because they are found on every continent except Antarctica. I found that description so charming! Imagine the plates as locals or continents with the owls distributed on all of them. Here the utilitarian function of dishes is taken off the table and relocated onto the wall.

GOOD FORTUNES

Everyone needs a little good fortune these days. Taken from the tiny paper fortunes you find inside the cookies, these are some of the most inspirational fortunes translated into French and rendered in a hand-lettered style found on a pitcher at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Small illustrations of a shoe, a baby chick, a horseshoe and a square knot adds a bit more meaning to each one. These “Good Fortune”plates can hang on a wall or safely hold your slice of toast. Ten different fortunes were made. In private collections in Baltimore, MD, Providence, RI and have been gifted to parts unknown.

STICKWARE

Before I owned my own house, I would do yard work for my parents, but also with a friend on the property she rented. Both properties had big old houses and big old trees with a canopy that towered over us. Every weekend was spent picking up the debris the trees left from a week in the wind. We called it going on Twig Patrol which made the work more of a game. I’m fascinated by the beautifully random shapes, in fact I have a collection of my favorite sticks on my front porch. This bowl is in tribute to the gathering of these insistent twigs and an appreciation of their individuality. Private collection, Baltimore, MD.