MY STORY & PHILOSOPHY

I am a North Carolina native that grew up on my family’s farm in Efland, NC.  I spent my childhood summers working on the farm which involved tasks such as picking vegetables, strawberries, and cut flowers and also selling them at various local markets.   I graduated with a degree in Studio Art at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and a minor in Art History in 2012.  My love of clay evolved from taking a few ceramics courses during college. After graduating, I worked as a wedding floral designer in Wilmington, NC, from 2012 to 2017. 

        To follow my passion for clay, I began taking classes at a local community arts center, Orange St. Pottery in Wilmington, NC and also joined the local pottery guild.  I decided I wanted to pursue my passion further and did a year-long wood firing ceramics residency at Cub Creek Foundation under Director John Jessiman, in Appomattox ,Va. during 2018.  My time there was a catalyst for a deepened appreciation of pottery and furthering my exploration in clay.  In the spring of 2019, I participated in the working artist program at Longwood University in Farmville, Va. During the summer of 2019, I worked as a studio assistant at a craft school, Sugar Maples in Maplecrest, NY.  I worked as a studio assistant for potter, Silvie Granatelli from fall of 2019-2021 in Floyd, VA.  During this I started developing and marketing my own wares at craft fairs and other shows.  I worked at Floyd Center for the Arts as Pottery Studio Manager from November 2021- May 2022.  From June to September 2022, I worked as a pottery studio assistant at Peters Valley School of Craft in Sandyston, NJ.  In October of 2022, I began a new position with Ben Owen Pottery in Seagrove, NC as studio assistant & retail manager.