My love for family, art, animals, and nature; each at the top of the list, are my essential must haves. I’ve been fortunate to be part of a loving and supportive family. They know I’m not perfect, but always love me in spite of those imperfections. I enjoy the closeness of an especially great sister who has no perspective at all regarding the worthiness of my art. I think she likes it all just because I made it. That is one of the many reasons she is so precious to me.
I have been fortunate in life; being able to do most everything I wanted. Mind you it is a modest list established before I left grade school. So, I joke, my goals haven’t changed since I was ten. Always wanted a couple of kids--got ‘em. They’re great. Needed to be around animals and live in a rural setting. Yep, got that too. Loved horses and they’re part of my life as well. Made a mid-life career decision and went back to school. Graduated from Hiram College in Ohio with a BA in art, a license to teach art and a love for ceramics. For years now, I have been working mostly on my art.
To be a successful artist, you really should specialize in a single medium. I understand the relevance of that sound advice, but have never been able to adhere to it’s tenants. Also, you will notice in the following pages, my work isn’t brooding or deeply full of meaning. Nor is it idealized. Some of the most beautiful things I gain inspiration from are past their youngest day, as are we all. You will not find political statements or hidden agendas in my work. This may not be in keeping with views held by many who are knowledgeable in my field. There is no mystique here. What you see is what you get. I make no apology for my lack of desire to engage in “art speak”, and besides, you’ve probably heard enough of that.
Mine is a simple philosophy and I’m sticking to it. In these pages you will find objects that look nice. Things I have lived with during their artistic creation and done my best to do a great job in giving them life. These endeavors mean a lot to me--they are a large part of my life. I am at my best as I ply my trade and I am completely dedicated to this pursuit.
However, I’ve always hesitated to call myself an artist. That is a title to be earned. You need to be greatly diligent over a long period of time. You need to strive for improvement. You need to continually push onward, always discovering the challenge of new things. It is essential to know what to keep and what to throw away. But isn’t that a metaphor for life? Knowing what matters and letting go of the rest? Eventually, you may get to call yourself an artist and a decent human being.
