Vessels with Branches

“My love of nature, trees, and quiet is perhaps most evident in my pieces incorporating branches.”

I start my process of creation with an inspirational walk in the woods. I gather fallen branches in just the right stage of dryness. After lugging them back to my studio, I study them for the form that they speak of. I do drawings to capture the forms in my mind. The branch is then cut to a more manageable size. The bark is carefully removed. I then ‘edit’ the branch by cutting and sanding until the final shape emerges. At this point the clay form is started and the branch is fit to it.