Meet the artist

It’s a funny story, really. I was accepted into Alfred University right out of highschool. I always knew I wanted to be an artist, but didn’t know what kind. I wanted to be a graphic designer… or so I thought.

At Alfred, we were encouraged to take all types of classes. I took plenty of painting and drawing, as well as graphic design. It wasn’t until my Sophmore year that I took my 3D arts classes, glassblowing and beginning ceramics. I loved every minute of both classes, and quickly forgot about being a graphic designer. I seemed to take better to glassblowing at the time, although I was still interested in the idea of pottery. During my final critique for my pottery class the teacher looked me in the eyes and said, “you should stick to sculptural work, sweetie”. I mistook this as an insult at the time and decided to focus my energies on glassblowing. It, along with lighting design and neon, became my major. I graduated in 2005, and was lucky enough to find a job as a glassblowing assistant in Reading, PA. But I wasn’t ready to give up on pottery.

After a year or so of working on someone else’s work in the glassblowing industry, I decided to do something for myself: I took a pottery class at the local arts center. When I sat down at the wheel in that small studio full of other beginners, it was as if I had been throwing pots my entire life. Something clicked! Maybe it was the no-pressure environment or the students, or a receptive teacher. Whatever it was, I haven’t been able to stop playing with clay since. And the real irony is that my sculptural work is one of my strengths.

Who knows what might have happened if I had read the tone of my Alfred professor differently and persued pottery instead of glassblowing, but I’m happy to have had all my experiences and be where I am now.