Studio –    SEAFIRE CERAMIC, Eastern Shore of Virginia

About the Artist - I grew up on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay where I spent my days on the water discovering the constantly changing marine landscape. After graduating from the University of Maryland with a degree in geography, and a stint in the merchant marine, I began a career in building, maintaining, and captaining yachts. Between years of cruising from Canada to the Caribbean, I built a home on the Seaside of Virginia's Eastern Shore. Inspired by the natural beauty of the area, I began to explore the possibilities of using clay to recreate whale bones and other artifacts found on the beach. The discovery of tile as an artistic medium awakened a strong desire to distill observations and experiences in clay.

The course of my art is guided, in part, by the notion that the planet is a living entity, and my work is a small offering to the spirit that holds sway over life's adventure.

Artist Statement - These handmade stoneware art tile works are framed in aluminum and designed

to be wall-hung or as a table with sabre-style legs.  Chart tiles are geographically correct and can depict any location on the planet at any scale. The clay, mixed with beach sand to the consistency of cake icing, is spread into a large slab from which the tiles are cut, the organic tile shapes often creating an

underlying motion within the piece. The glazes, which include local 'native' clay, are thin layers of glass whose beauty and depth are revealed only after firing to 2000 degrees (1093 C). Themes are often geocentric, mindful of the fundamental elements of earth, water, air, and fire.