I was an Educator/Artist at Louisburg College for 40 years, 1983 to 2023. During my career I have shifted back and forth from large public art works to intimate drawings and ceramics. I enjoy both working in classroom and community settings, and being very quiet and reflective in the studio alone. Animated shifting patterns of color and texture have always characterized my drawings and clay work.  All the objects I make start with colored pencil and graphite drawings, before evolving into clay pottery, mosaics, or larger painted surfaces.  I am a gregarious person and enjoy telling stories in a variety of different media, from casual conversations over a beer and chips to the 20 Homilies I had given in my Episcopal Mission Church. As I turn 68, I hope to find that my best work lies in front of me. ​

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This is a description of a recent series of ceramic planters --

“Push. Cut. Bend. Carve. Nudge. Rip. Snag. Drag. Press. Thump. Persuade. Punch. Cajole. This series of ceramic work and drawings come straight out of my relationship with rural northeastern North Carolina.  The peanut vines, the cypress swamps, the magnolia leaves and the bits of sea shells all make their presence known in these gestural clay studies.  My goal is for the resiliency of the vessel to be maintained, yet at their best, each honors their own vulnerabilities to nature.  Nature can teach you that, if you are patient enough to slow down and learn.  I start to understand what it means to, “live in the world, but not of the world.”