I first touched clay in 1978 at the age of five, when I took a class at a local summer pottery in the San Fransisco bay area with Skip Esquierdo.

Many years later I found myself under the tutelage of the very same instructor when I was in my early twenties. I learned how to throw on the wheel and the nuances of firing. During this time I studied sculpture with Clayton Theil who taught me hand-building, slab construction and stone carving. Through Clayton I was fortunate to meet with Manuel Neri in his studio a few times.

From there I went on to study with Ron Nagle at Mills college where I acquired many new skills and continued refining my technique. I also had the great fortune of studying with the painter Hung Liu and historian Moira Roth who both taught me about storytelling through art. I was awarded the Eleanor E. Crum prize in ceramics from Ron in 2005.

To immerse myself even deeper I kept a weekend job at Leslie’s Ceramics which was owned by artist John Toki. Here I met with every major clay person in the bay area and learned a great deal.

For over twenty years I have worked freelance as a ceramic artist with many pottery and sculpture commissions.