ARTIST STATEMENT

Throwing on the potter’s wheel allows me to take advantage of the clay’s plastic nature.  The slashes and marks that I make across the surfaces capture the energetic motion of transformation from a ball of clay to a finished vessel.  I want my finished pots to reveal the dynamic movement of the wet clay spinning through my fingers.
Since before I was born, my mother has been an avid collector of Japanese pottery. Growing up surrounded by all of my mother’s collection, I have always been mesmerized by the arcane and spiritual nature of the Mizusashi, the Japanese ceremonial water jars. The subtleness, the intentional imperfection, and the gestures give each pot its own remark, just like people with their own unique characteristics. In my work, I wish to draw inspiration from these traditional Japanese forms and execute it with my personal interpretation.  My pottery is a continuing exploration of my Japanese-American heritage.