I'm a few months away from my MFA exhibition and thought  sharing some thoughts and images that might be beneficial to others. I won't mince words when I say this process has been exceedingly difficult. Developing a body of work based upon very specific inspiration is not easy task. Add building and fine tuning your own kiln,  creating a clay body and a 200+ page document to the mix, and it is clear the process is not for the faint of heart.
    To be fair, tackling all of these items is not required for an MFA. However, I felt it was critically important to me that I could graduate and have all of the tools required for continuing my work outside of the school. I have known too many individuals who graduate and no longer have the ability to work in the manner they had during their education. I felt that devoting the amount of time required to developing the aesthetic I desired for my work should be forward-thinking beyond my degree.
     So, here I am. I hope to share the stories of how I arrived where I am today in this blog. In the meantime, thanks for reading.
   The image above is a contemporary functional interpretation of the Neolithic Irish bullaun with inset vessels. The work is made from my custom porcelain clay body and is fired to cone 10 in a reduction-fired downdraft