I was born and raised in Alexandria. I attended Public Schools in the 60s and 70s when the public and the Powers-that-Be still thought that art and imagination were important for developing brains. Lyles Crouch elementary school had a kiln and a fabulous art teacher, Mr. Davenport. He inspired his mostly public-housing charges to create lots of wonderful and messy things!
I graduated from T. C. Williams High School in 1978 and went on to get my BFA from Radford University in 1982. A career in retail took me away from Art for awhile; for twenty years I worked as a buyer and display person at Why Not, a small independent toy and kids clothing store on King Street. In 1996 my First husband Committed Suicide. This Sudden and devastating loss brought me back to art as a way of healing and I started taking classes at the NOVA Alexandria campus. At first I made small brown bowls but gradually, under the guidance of the gifted and talented Bill Schran, I began to more deeply explore the medium and sculpt again. It was at NOVA that I learned the ancient Japanese firing technique of raku. In 2003 I left retail to try art full-time. In 2004 I was juried into the Torpedo Factory.
I still live in Alexandria, in the Del Ray neighborhood with my lovely husband, two dogs and a cat. I do my sculpting in Studio #16 at the Factory. My ceramic work is mostly hand-built and raku fired I also work with lots of found objects and recycled materials and I can't imagine a better job!
I graduated from T. C. Williams High School in 1978 and went on to get my BFA from Radford University in 1982. A career in retail took me away from Art for awhile; for twenty years I worked as a buyer and display person at Why Not, a small independent toy and kids clothing store on King Street. In 1996 my First husband Committed Suicide. This Sudden and devastating loss brought me back to art as a way of healing and I started taking classes at the NOVA Alexandria campus. At first I made small brown bowls but gradually, under the guidance of the gifted and talented Bill Schran, I began to more deeply explore the medium and sculpt again. It was at NOVA that I learned the ancient Japanese firing technique of raku. In 2003 I left retail to try art full-time. In 2004 I was juried into the Torpedo Factory.
I still live in Alexandria, in the Del Ray neighborhood with my lovely husband, two dogs and a cat. I do my sculpting in Studio #16 at the Factory. My ceramic work is mostly hand-built and raku fired I also work with lots of found objects and recycled materials and I can't imagine a better job!