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I sometimes start with a sketch, but more often have a general idea of what I want to make, and then determine what building method will get me there. Then I just get the clay and start working, letting the clay tell me which direction to take.
Once I have a plan, and I determine a form and design I want to create, as well as a reaction I want to elicit from the viewer, I begin the creative process. But, as with my music, I improvise; responding to the way the clay moves and speaks to me. The creative journey is as important as the destination – the finished piece.
To create textures and enhance the form, I impress various objects into the clay, add different sized pieces to the clay, carve into the clay, sculpt and stretch the clay.
When the clay is in the leather-hard or bone-dry stage, I use slips, underglazes, oxides, and terra sigillata to add additional tactile and color elements to the piece.
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