I have been working as a professional studio potter for over 20 years. The majority of my work starts from a lump of clay on the potter’s wheel. Starting with traditional shapes and often through manipulation, and various hand building techniques the pots are altered from the original forms. The creation of the vessel is one of my favorite parts of the process. Recent work has incorporated horse carvings and drawings in the clay. I have an extensive equestrian background and this process allows for the combination of two great passions of mine.
Most of my vessels are fired using low fire techniques such as RAKU. Raku is a Japanese fast firing technique that can provide brilliant color and surprise on the clay pieces. The process is very interactive due to the removing of very hot pots from a kiln and then exposing the pots to the outside atmosphere and then placing the pots in a fireproof container to smoke them in a reduced atmosphere, using sawdust, leaves, paper, etc. Once the pots have cooled a bit the containers are open and water is poured on the pots to freeze the colors that hopefully appear on the pots. It can be a wonderful surprise or a disaster. Often this process will offer no color, due to improper cooling or the pots will crack or break resulting in a total loss.
I take pride in my the fact that the process offers a correlation to the mining history in southwestern Montana. The copper finishes I use on my pots often make the pots look like metal and show the brilliant rainbow colors that copper produces.
TO ORDER: Select the Add to Cart button for any item you would like, or send me an email,
Note: There is a $20.00 shipping fee for each item for shipping within the continental United States.
Pitchers
Bowls
Copper Raku Vases
RAKU is a quick and exciting method of firing pottery which originated in japan in the 1500's.
Using long tongs, red hot pots are removed from a flaming kiln and placed in sawdust. The burning sawdust produces heavy carbon, which causes oxides in the glazes to turn into the beautiful colors or Raku.
RAKU pots are very individual pieces of art. Having there own colors and and designs, no two are ever alike.
RAKU is a decorative pottery not intended to hold water or be used with food.
View my gallery of work at Frame Hut & Gallery - Billings, MT.







