I am very honored to be selected for this exhibition.  My work is inspired by looking at nature. I believe that by observing nature one can learn many things that help further our own humanity. By capturing those moments in an art piece, I hope to share a common feeling or connection with the viewer. I have been through about 3 distinct phases in my career thus far. While working on my undergrad at Humboldt State in the late 80s, I was in a Zen hand-building phase, very influenced by Eastern philosophy and Japanese ceramics. Next came my organic vessels that echoed bird, plant, and floral forms. My early work consisted of coil-built vessels that captured bird postures and ocean patterns in an abstract way. I moved on from that to floral, plant, and vegetable forms infused with the female figure. The figurative element came from visiting exhibitions at the old John Natsoulas Gallery in Davis, viewing works by Ruth Rippon, Glen Taki, Lisa Reinertson, and more, as well as a class I took from Jim Crawford at Humboldt State. I sold my early pottery at the Davis Farmers Market and would drop in the gallery afterwards. It was a way to transfigure these living growing things with my experience of being a woman.  With more evolution, I began to arrange the forms into pairs or groups to express a relationship between the forms.

We moved to Galt in 2013, near the Cosumnes River Preserve. The Preserve had been a special place for me since I was invited by Char Sylvestri to be in an Exhibit entitled, The Watermarks, and organized by Miriam Davis back in the mid-90s.I began to go to the Preserve often, spending time in nature and watching and learning about the birds. I had begun to explore using the Sandhill Cranes as subject matter a bit before we moved. There was something there calling me.

I have always made functional pottery to sell that echoes the sculpture work I make, as a way to give someone an affordable piece all can take home with them. Also, it was a way to make some money to keep my art habit going. After about a 3 or 4 year hiatus from working in clay, I started by making bird themed pottery. As I was at the wheel, the ideas would flow for the sculptures. I have been a big fan of the work of Akio Takamori. His influence was what made me think “vessel art” making was a possibility. Once he started closing up his figurative vessels and making them purely sculpture, I had an “aha” moment that I wanted to do that, too.

So came the birth of the wheel-thrown and assembled Sandhill Crane sculptures. I strive to capture a nod of the head or posture of birds, the actions in their mating rituals, or the moment just before they pounce on their prey, to find common ground in our struggle to survive and to thrive in this world. We don't share the same language, but behavior and body language can tell a story with observation. The cranes also have a mate and communities, so making them in pairs or groups to show relationships continued to be important. 
While throwing the forms on the wheel, the clay moves through my fingers. I feel there is a metaphor there for that, which I want to bring out when I am assembling the parts into a whole figure(bird). They are difficult forms to get through the process, many don’t make it. When they do it is glorious. As if your vase could get up and fly to the air, becoming a crane.