Artist Statement

My viewer may sit to a pot of tea prepared to notice the simple beauty of leaves floating, steam rising, or water flowing. They may be prepared to focus on the ritual of careful steeping or the nuance of flavor and terroir. Or perhaps they are primed to consider the intentional handcraft of the vessels that faithfully serve the moment.

I create these vessels with careful intention and consideration for each detail. The formal qualities, the proportions, ergonomics, and fluid-dynamics are all carefully developed and considered for a delicate physical experience. The thematic elements of material and process enter the deliberation as well. I use tea leaf ashes from my own tasting to make an intimate glaze for teacups. I forage obsidian and wind-blown sand from the explorations of my favorite landscapes to include in my recipes. And I use an anagama kiln to finish the work with the influence of wood on fire. Each aspect is committed and orchestrated to integrate the made objects with the poetic nuance of enjoying fine tea in a quiet mind.

In its essence this work is about momentarily shedding the pressures of frenetic culture and briefly choosing a nourishing tenderness. It is a committed acknowledgment of the ever-present and foundational beauties of existence through raw and gently crafted earthen material. It is about what it is, namely, dirt and rock, leaf and water, wind and mountain.

And it’s just a cup of tea—it need not be more.