We often do not see the skin of ancient people, except in the rare cases of mummified corpses, preserved relics, or in the exceptionally strange phenomena of Pompeii. The memory of ancient individuals most often survives in objects of resilient material such as ceramic, stone, bone, ivory, and glass. The bodies of those that came long before us are memorialized in man-made representations which are often self-reflective of the maker.
Figurative sculpture, of both human and animal form, is an attempt to honor nature as well as defy it. Hard materials are used to preserve the memory of life by pretending to be something soft and full of elaborate anatomy.
My attraction to the human figure lies in the beauty of skin lying over muscle, stretching over bone, and creating a complex contour that can be approached realistically to the highest detail or the most minimalistic simplification. I am attracted to the body in pieces, such sections isolated for study, a miniature made for a votive offering, a separated tooth, hair cut and kept, or a part removed from a saint and used as an accessory to their representation. My figures incorporate antique aesthetics but are masking contemporary materials and techniques. They are marked with references to my own body. In this way, I consider how the world keeps our memory when our biological bodies have decomposed and only silent material objects remain.
Choosing to work in clay has led me to object making. Although my current practice rarely unites figurative and functional, I see pottery as an extension of the body. Evidence of those that lived before us exists in the objects they used and left behind. Their memory lingers in the thought of a hand slipping into a handle or lips meeting an edge to take a sip. In our current age of single-use plastics and fast fashion, many objects we encounter don’t have a past. The things we use are often disposed of before having the chance to live. Interaction with the human body is what gives purpose to our objects, and the intimate process of making gives meaning to the lives of those who make them.
Artist CV
Education
Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA)
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics
September 2014 – May 2018, Baltimore, MD
Major in Ceramics, concentrations in Painting, Sustainability, and Social Practice
Studio Arts College International (SACI)
Semester Abroad Program
January – April 2017, Florence, Italy
On-site High Renaissance Art History, marble carving and ceramics
Burren College of Art
Summer Session – Global Ecologies Studio
July 2016, Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, Ireland
Lattimore Atelier
2013 – Present, Cornwall, NY
Traditional observational drawing and painting classes
Experience
New Prospect Pottery
Studio Assistant and Wood Kiln Tech
May 2023 – Present, Pine Bush, NY
Responsible for co-leading wood firings, loading all kilns including reduction and salt, mixing glazes, making wadding, creating cone packs, cleaning/organizing the studio and kiln pads, grinding bricks and shelves, splitting and stacking wood.
Fallkill Creative Works
Ceramic Instructor
January 2022 – Present, Poughkeepsie, NY
Instructor for Intro to Wheel, Figurative Sculpture, On-and-Off the Wheel, Drinking Vessels, Cup and Saucers.
The Art Effect
Dutchess Arts Camp Ceramic Instructor
July 2023 – Poughkeepsie, NY
Taught ceramics lessons to children ages 4-12, fired their work with no casualties in a tight time frame to be displayed for parents at the end of the week.
Boswell Studios
Studio Assistant to Andy Boswell, Pottery Instructor
November 2021- Present, Sugar Loaf, NY
Responsible for mixing and testing crystalline glazes, making test tiles, mixing casting slip, pouring molds, cleaning up cast pieces, glazing, loading and unloading kilns, assisting with Andy’s thrown production by wedging clay, trimming pieces, and glazing, packing and safely shipping delicate porcelain pottery all over the word
Storm King Art Center
Visitor Services August 2019 – August 2022
Archives Assistant Feb 2022 – Present, New Windsor, NY
Informing guests about the works and history, guarding a valuable collection of outdoor sculptures on a 500-acre property, selling tickets, working phones and online chat, handling bicycle rentals, and assisting with member events. Special privileges have included cleaning and waxing a David Smith sculpture during winter storage, working with artist Sarah Sze’s team by planting grass as part of the installation of Fallen Sky and continuing my involvement in the Art Center by organizing the Artist Files in the Archives and creating informative displays for office staff.
Tony Moore Wood Fire Kiln
Kiln Assistant
January 2020 – Present, Cold Spring, NY
Duties include all stages of firing (prep, stoking, unloading, and cleanup), making test tiles, mixing glazes, and organizing the studio as well as the artists’ publications and archives of his work.
The Newburgh Pottery
Youth Instructor
August 2019 -2020 Newburgh, NY
Teaching wheel-throwing to middle school students from a local community center and hand-building to young homeschooled children.
La Meridiana International School of Ceramics
Ceramic Studio Assistant
March – May 2019 Certaldo (Tuscany), Italy
Performed a variety of duties to keep the school running. In the kitchen I assisted the chefs in food preparation, setting the table, serving food, washing dishes, taking out the trash and compost, and preparing coffee breaks twice a day. I also cleaned the studio nightly and deep cleaned between workshops. I did studio laundry (aprons and towels) and assisted the workshop teachers when needed. In exchange, I received studio space, materials, firings, meals, and lodging.
Workshops Attended
Jack Troy Firing
Hosted by Trevor Youngberg –Woodbridge, CT September 2023
Fleshing: Strategies to Develop the Figure in Clay – with Cristina Cordova
International Center for the Arts, Monte Castello di Vibio, Umbria, Italy October 2022
The Ceramic Figure Dissected – with Richard W. James
Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN (June 2019)
Women and Woodfire Workshop
Stone Bowl Farm, West Pawlet, VT (September 2018)
Plein Air Painting Workshops
With Andrew Lattimore of Cornwall, NY
Fiesole, Italy (Summer 2014), Clifden, Co. Galway, Ireland (Summer 2018)
Conferences Attended
New England Woodfire Conference
Woodbridge, CT, June/July 2023
NCECA Conferences (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts)
Kansas City, MO (2016), Pittsburgh, PA (2018), Cincinnati, OH (2023), Richmond, VA (2024)
Solo Exhibitions
My Skin is Made of Stone
Main Building Courtyard, MICA, Baltimore, MD (May 2018)
Selected Group Exhibitions
The Lattimore Studio of Fine Art – Student Art Exhibition
The Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY (July/August 2023)
Warwick Drawing Group Exhibition
The Seligmann Center, Sugarloaf, NY (September 2021)
The Lattimore Studio – Student & Aumni Art Exhibition
The Howland Cultural Center, Beacon, NY (August 2021)
Solastalgia
Rosenberg Gallery, MICA, Baltimore, MD (April 2018)
Annual Juried Ceramics Exhibition
Middendorf Gallery, MICA, Baltimore, MD (April 2018)
Potbellied
Main O Gallery, MICA, Baltimore, MD (January 2018)
Spring Exhibition
Playa Gallery, Warwick, NY (May 2017)
MICA Spring 2017 Exhibition
SACI, Florence, Italy (April 2017)
Pupil, Mentor, Master
Mill Street Loft, Poughkeepsie, NY (June 2016)