Artist Statement

Creating a home, shaping a piece of clay, constructing a life – with each process there is the opportunity to infuse the intentions of calm, connection, and clarity.

Everything has purpose. Consider the clear purpose of a bowl: a bowl is the proxy for hands cupped together to carry and contain that which will nourish our bodies and our minds. My mind and hands shape each bowl, each piece with intention and as the pots move out into the world, my touch is extended to the person who takes that piece into their own home to use. From my story to their story, a story continues on and on. The development, creation, and sale of my pots is my play, my extroversion expressed, my desire to please others, my path to understanding many things.

I am affected by the flow and line patterns in nature and I explore these patterns and forms in my pots. My work is moving towards a more organic appearance, often altered away from the perfect circle of the wheel. Through these forms and patterns emerge lines of communication. I am learning that the communication of pottery happens most often in the absence of language. I seek to infuse my work with a sense of movement; the soft stroke of the hand giving comfort and thanks through use. As a social species, we communicate and exchange information through touch, visual expressions, body language – all these voices are present in handmade objects. You hear the voices through your eyes, your touch, your emotional response to shape and size, color, and feel. These lines of communication are open in both directions – when individuals make the choice to purchase a handmade object so much offered and given in return to the artist to espouse their way of life.

It is a conscious choice for me each day to make pots, to entice others to use and share these forms. The choice of where we place our money and energy is an economic statement. And, there is a strong emotional component and larger cultural significance when people choose to support an artist’s work. These decisions shape our world of external objects as well as our inner sense of self. Whether you enjoy a cup of tea alone or share a meal with a friend, each experience is enhanced by the presence of handmade objects.

I am currently living in Floyd, Virginia working as a studio potter. My pottery is made of porcelain clay and is fired in an electric kiln to cone 10. All pots are safe for microwave, dishwasher, and oven.

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
2011-Present Wrenn Pottery, Owner and Artist
2014-Present North Carolina Virtual Public High School, Online Instructor
2012-2017 Foggy Ridge Cider, Online Marketing Assistant
2009-2013 Sarvisberry Studio & Gallery, Office & Studio Assistant
2009-2011 Granatelli Pottery, Apprentice
2007-2008 AB Tech Community College, Basic Skills & GED Instructor
2007-2008 Leicester Valley Clay, Studio Assistant
2004-2007 The Whirling Wheel Pottery Studio, Pottery Teacher
1997-2007 David Butler High School, Science & Biology Teacher

EDUCATION & TRAINING
University of North Carolina at Charlotte – Bachelor of Science in Biology
Haywood Community College, Clyde, NC – Associates Degree in Professional Crafts – Ceramics

AWARDS & EXHIBITIONS
2013 Individual Exhibition at Staunton Augusta Art Center – Staunton, VA
2016 Honorable Mention – Craftsmanship – Carrollton Art Festival – Carrollton, GA
2016 Judge’s Choice Award – Chasten Art Festival – Atlanta, GA
2017 Individual Exhibition at City Clay – Charlottesville, VA
2017 Member Carolina Craftsman’s Guild
2017 Participant in Research in the Abstract Art Show – Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
2018 Exhibition of Terra Floyd (local pottery group) – Staunton Art Center, VA
2019 New Member of 16 Hands – Craft Collective in Southwest Virginia
2019 Exhibition of 16 Hands work by each of the 12 members – Lynchburg, VA
2019 New Member of Piedmont Craftsman Guild, an International Craft Guild
2020 Recipient of Artist Relief grant from Virginia Museum of Art
2020 ”16 Hands exhibition” Piedmont Arts, Hooker Garrett Gallery – Martinsville, VA