Artist's statement:

I am a three-dimensional person, a maker of things most of my life. I enjoy designing anything, especially functional objects around and among which people’s lives occur. For me, this has for many years been pottery, an art form that deeply moved me when I lived in Japan in the 60’s and 70’s. In fact, my debt to the Japanese aesthetic in so many ways is immeasurable.  If you think you see some connection to Japanese values in my work, then there is a reason. I do not attempt to emulate Japanese design, but I try to reflect that philosophy in considering what makes a design work.

I enjoy the puzzle of making things. What began in the brain must eventually reveal itself through the hands to be shared with others. This, I think, is the nature of art: Art is what humans do; it is the essence of our natures.  Some art is good; some is not, yet it remains art. As an artist, I strive to create the best. As collectors, we must also search out the best we can afford.

I consider myself a craftsman also, someone with skill in making things. It does not necessarily follow that an artist is a craftsman, and vice versa.  To be good at both, however, is important, especially for the artist-designer like myself who is ultimately responsible for the final product that began as some faint neural process deep in the brain.

Well, that probably is enough. Art must finally be judged outside the context of anyone’s statements. Success in art is not conditional on words or explanations. You alone will judge.

Below is a shot of my studio with my 200 year old house on the left. A summer storm is about to deliver an abundance of water. In the foreground are some interesting heathers and conifers interspersed with fruit trees and other botanical specimens which I fancy. The latter include hostas, orchids, lilies, cactus and more.

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