“My main medium is clay. Stylistically, I would say that at this stage what I’m exploring is a more painterly form, influenced and continually inspired by abstract expressionism, 70 years on. Finding ways to do that with clay, and use glaze as paint. I think of myself as a painter as opposed to a glazer.
I took my first-ever art course during my senior year in college, as a biology major. Talking with my art instructor, Abner Hershberger, and taking a ceramics course…that one first course stuck with me for years. That was very formative in that, after obtaining a biology degree, I started over and started on a BFA and followed that with an MFA with concentrations in ceramics.
There are a couple projects that I continue to be very proud of. One is not in clay at all – it’s a large, steel-welded project. It stands on the campus of Eastern Mennonite University. That was a very engaging project.
I’m also very proud of being one of the founding members of the Clay Artists Guild. We started the guild in 1998 here in Goshen. We reach out to the community and encourage other adults to try the arts.
I moved here in 1987. This to me was the end of the world (laughs) – the darkest, dreariest place I could think of to be. What Goshen is now is the polar opposite. It is a constantly fruiting, constantly blooming community. From the art aspect, that continued growing and blooming is just an absolute joy to me. You can rub elbows, run into other artists, and talk about art here. That is such a rich life.”
