My visual resources are selected from ancient art. I traveled extensively to study ancient ceramics and wall paintings because connecting with the original object was of paramount importance. I never liked filters.
During my ceramic career, which was thirty years long, I made blue and white hand built one-of-a-kind cups and small tea pots that reminded me of the jaunty Chinese jars in Matisse’s paintings. My tea bowls are designed for the Japanese tea ceremony but open to any kind of informal use. Early on in my three-year stay in Japan I served ice cream in lacquer bowls. My guests were amused that I would make a mistake of serving anything but soup in a soup bowl. I had the freedom of being an outsider.
I don’t follow the rules, nor do I follow trends in the art world. As I developed my own understanding and practices of art, I was asked to teach in various institutions where I taught art for over 40 years.
Currently I am concentrating on painting and drawing. I have been fortunate to study at the Art Students League with Knox Martin. I attribute my development into a mature painter to his mentoring. He taught me that being an artist requires relentless alertness.