Through both local materials research and the wood-firing process, I have had a direct relationship to labor and a commitment to understanding the use of material. The ceramic material I am most fond of is called Basin Creek. It is found west of Helena, Montana in the Boulder Mountains. This material makes for a fantastic sculptural clay body, that works exceptionally well in a high-fire, atmospheric kiln. I have extracted and milled hundreds of pounds of clay, cut and burned large quantities of wood, all to better understand the moral dilemma of industrial extractive and productive processes. The amount of labor this demands has shown me what I am personally capable of achieving. The overall process is nearly impossible to achieve alone; the ceramics community has been essential in every step.

The sights and sounds of the interstate have served as an object of meditation: as a phenomenon of inspiration and evidence of an industrial system that cuts across the western landscape. Classically minimal sensibilities including straight lines, duplicated forms, and perceptual play have driven my formal investigations. Unlike the minimalists, there is an embrace of touch and the presence of the artist. The finger is seen. Hand dug material is never predictable or replicable. I am curious about feeling a sense of progress and movement towards an ideal future that I associate with dynamism, speed, light, space, and paradox. This work has helped me recognize myself within the industrial landscape.