Ceramic art is a medium that has been used for time in memoriam. A permanent part of the historical record directly ajacent to the fossil record. It records the emphasis on what is important in a society, an amphora for wine, beautiful Incan bowls for grain storage, and the simple chai cups tossed out of train windows onto the tracks in India. It is as close to permanent as you can get, not rotting or rusting away, And most importantly, it is used world wide my many cultures.
I am primarily a quilt artist, and while textiles are found in many places and the variety they are infinitely rarer in the historical record. Organic and subject and rot and ruin quilts are also seen as women's work, utlilititarn in nature and often made of discarded materials. The art of quilting was easy to dismiss. Only in more recent years has quilting seen as a form of art to be shown alongside paintings and sculptures in large museums, not dedicated to the quilt niche.
This series was started soon after my mother passed away. A lifelong potter, Lynn Woodson created an enormous body of work. Upon her death, I was gifted her studio equipment. Lynn made pottery for the beauty and fun, and while she considered it a hobby, it was a pursuit she was driven to engage in. Later in life when arthritis robbed her of much of her hand mobility, she continued to read about and discuss the way of creation. Lynn admired the techniques, artistry, and vision of other ceramic artists, but she never considered herself an artist. She was a proud craftsperson, making beautiful utilitarian pots. She sold her wares cheaply and in volume, to both clear out space and to make enough money to buy new equipment and materials. Due to her productivity, I have had friends travel all over the east coast and discover her makers mark in houses and inns. It is a truly great legacy to be cherished in so many homes.
I think about the meaning crafts person in the artistic community due to Lynn's debate over craft v. art. When something is beautifully made, learned through formal and informal education and trial and error, artistry and care is that art or still craft beacause of the history of the media? Both textiles, specifically quilting, and pottery are traditionally crafts: utilitarian and often women's work. But there is were intention comes into play. I believe a talented quilter or potter can be a crafter making traditionally utitlitarian quilts and pots, but they can transcend into artistry, with the intention of the maker creating fiber art.
With this collaboration I worked on extending my mother's legacy and my desire to create my own body of work. I strive to create art from craft through intention. My art and was inspired by the marriage of the hard and soft, the transient and permanent, craft and art.
Tide Pool
2022
Hand quilted
Cotton fabric and batting, embroidery floss, ploymer clay, metallic thread
This quilt was created as a trial piece. what could I make out of clay to go on a quilt. I was at my parents house and did not have access to pottery yet, but had polymer clay left over from a whirlwind of projects from my daughter. I was trying to figure out how i could make pieces that were interesting shapes and not so heavy they would ruit the quilt
Trial
2024
17"x 19"
Hand pieced and quilted
Cotton fabric and batting, embroidery floss, ceramic
This was the first quilt made from fired ceramic clay. This was my first foray into reverse applicaton and big stitch quilting
The Consequences of What You Say
2025
29" x 29"
Hand pieced and quilted
Cotton fabric with ceramic embellisment, glass beads, and metallic threads
Joy Calendar
2025
Machine quilted and pieced
Linen and cotton fabric cotton and poly fill metalic and cotton thread,ceramic tile.
This quilt features a motif incorporating stenciled fabric and tile, blending traditional piecing techniques with a contemporary aesthetic. Classic patterns are reimagined through intricate piecing, while the quilting itself—executed in meandering, echo, and directional line styles—adds texture, movement, and depth to the overall composition.
Heavy Water
2025
Machine quilted and pieced
Linen and cotton fabric cotton and poly fill metallic and cotton thread,ceramic tile.
Migration
2025
Machine quilted and pieced
Cotton fabric, cotton and poly fill, metallic and cotton thread, ceramic
Prediction
2025
Machine quilted and pieced
Cotton fabric, cotton and poly fill, metallic and cotton thread, ceramic
In Broad Daylight
2025
13" x 20"
Machine pieced and quilted
Cotton fabric, ceramic embellishment, and gold thread
Open Access
2025
24" x 18"
Machine pieced and quilted.
Cotton fabric with ceramic and copper embellishment
Open Calls
21" x 20"
Hand Pieced and quilted
Cotton fabric with ceramic embellisment and metallic thread