I started making pots in 1985, after a long time as an admirer of the work of others. I became a full time potter in 2001, after retiring from a 30-year career in television production. I am self-taught: from books, experimentation, observation and practice. There has also been the occasional but significant workshop and seminar. Four potters who have guided, helped, and influenced me are: Priscilla Hoback, Bill Daley, Doug Casebeer and most importantly, Hiroshi Ogawa.

I like functional forms: jars, bottles, vases, and plates. My work is an exploration of these forms built primarily with slabs. I am interested in the effect of altering shapes by changing the relationship of the sides and parts. Sometimes I rearrange the pieces to see what the resulting form looks like. In addition, I am interested in the effect of planes intersecting the shapes at various angles. These intersections can serve to change the orientation of the form and also provide the division points for the rearrangement of individual sections.

I also like to add impressed decoration to the forms. This decoration tries to suggest rivers and their banks or plowed fields, and often contains designs inspired by Native American beadwork and blankets. Frequently, I make pieces where this design seems to continue off the edge of the work, or where the work seems to have been cut out from a larger whole. With my plates especially, I try for a fragmented or shard look.

My studio is in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles where I live with my wife and two Shetland Sheepdogs.

My work is currently available in the following galleries:

• Gallery Tempest, San Francisco
• Freehand, Los Angeles
• Triad Gallery, Seal Rock, Oregon