This plate is part of an ongoing interdisciplinary project that merges environmental science with ceramic research. It explores the transformation of harmful algal blooms, a growing ecological threat in waterways like the Chesapeake Bay and Baltimore Harbor, into functional ceramic glazes. By harvesting local algae, converting it into ash, and analyzing its chemical makeup using tools like mass spectrometry or electron microscopy, I aim to identify its potential as a glaze material. Algae ash may contain silica from diatom shells and fluxes like calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which are key components in traditional ash glazes. This process reframes ecological waste as a resource, offering a new approach to sustainable ceramics while raising awareness about nutrient pollution and aquatic health.
For my current tableware series, I use wild clay that I dig from my backyard in Maryland. With its natural impurities and organic textures, this clay becomes the most important part of my work, other than the forms, connecting the pieces back to the earth. My work is heavily inspired by artists like Anne Mette, Shoji Hamada, and Hamish Jackson. These influences, combined with my wild clay, fuel my desire to create pottery that is not just used, but experienced. I want to create intentional objects that encourage users to slow down, appreciate the moment, and reconnect with the earth. These were all made in 2024 at MICA.
This was one of my wood-fired bowls, with my same wild clay, but instead of a gas kiln, this was fired in an updraft wood kiln, at Baltimore Clay works.
Wild clay tableware series, influenced by Anne Mette, and traditional Japanese ceramics, this set of dishes incorporates wild Maryland clay, bringing rich rusty red highlights to the white glaze.
These were made at my time at Montgomery Community College.
