I draw images on my work to create spaces of refuge, built of experience and imagination. I particularly enjoy nighttime solitude with nature - walking in the woods, kayaking on the lake, watching the shadows of tree branches dance on a surface, letting my mind imbibe what I see with a secret life of its own. Creating the surface and drawing is as much a salvation as contemplating the subtleties added by the firing process, letting my imagination wander to a sweeter place, or experiencing those spaces myself.

In my last post I mentioned entering work for a show at Womanmade Gallery, themed “Drawing on Experience”. The paragraph above accompanied my submitted images, and the piece pictured below (and, I’ve realized, above, as my blog banner) was the one accepted: word arrived this week.

The sky swirled all night around me; I lost track of who I was. 2007. Handbuilt of Tile6 over stoneware FCSI with incised drawing. Unglazed. Soda fired to c.10, reduction cooled. 1h, 14w, 10l

Drawing on Experience runs June 27 through July 24, 2008. Womanmade Gallery is located at 685 N Milwaukee. The opening reception is on June 24, from 6-9pm.