How I Came Into Ceramics My love for pottery almost came about by accident. I took a few ceramics classes in high school and it was fun but the thought of doing it in the future never really crossed my mind. Ceramics was more of an easy “A” while I pursued a career as an athlete. As soon as high school was done I never really thought of revisiting ceramics. I went to college on an athletic scholarship until a hand injury sidelined me for over a year. Soon after hand surgery I decided to take a ceramics class at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, MD. I had the intension of taking the course for re-strengthening my hands to aid in my return to track and field. I quickly fell in love with making pots and I progressed very quickly with the mentoring of Master Potter Rick Malmgren. I soon decided to quit track and field (albeit momentarily) and direct my future toward becoming a potter. After about a year of only making pottery I eventually decided to go back to track and field and looked to four year schools with good ceramics programs as well as good track programs. I really had no idea what I was coming up against. The art world was completely foreign to me and I was in dire need of a formal art education. Upon visiting Virginia Commonwealth University I knew |
that was where I wanted to be and I quickly enrolled for the upcoming semester. Going to school with so many talented artisans gave me a great appreciation for everything produced by the human hand. I got a crash course in a formal art education and my outlook on art grew significantly while attending one of the best art schools in the nation. As I dabbled in other media my appreciation for clay grew even larger as I learned more about what the human hand can produce. From pottery, jewelry, glass and my handmade bicycle I love all that is made by hand.
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