Asimov’s I, Robot stories; the idea of positronic brains, the laws of robotics, etc., fascinated me. I loved the mix of complex ancient civilizations, philosophy, and science fiction. His writing made the potential exploration of worlds by future beings seem so vast and interesting.
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Magnets I made a few years ago that were actually sigils but I didn’t know that’s what was channelling…. They’re made of Sculpey!
Continuity of Self
How is it possible to feel a “continuity of self” when all the cells in my body— with the exception of the lens of my eye— have regenerated more than once? I’m certain that I’ll still feel continuity of self when I’m 75.
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A ceramic frame which will eventually have a drawing in the inner space.
More ideas for sigils...
What has become pretty clear to me is this: Artists who use their work or others’ work to train an AI to spit out images for them to paint are completely missing the real value of what they potentially could get from working with an AI assistant.
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Current work: 7 April 2025
The gallery, Manor Mill in Monkton, MD, has invited me to participate in their group invitational show, “Out of the Forest” this August.
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A few prototypes of sigil tiles, 6” x 6”. Clockwise from top left: abundance, sanctuary, protection, and love. I’m still trying to figure out how to achieve the perfect symmetry and curvature of the pieces….
Current new work: 25 March-- Sigil Tiles
Some time ago, my friend, Marian, asked me to make a sigil tile for her. What the heck was that? I thought. A sigil, or “seal” is a magical symbol of a desired outcome based on a word.
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Bisqued planter cauldrons with applied oxides. 2021.
Opening a load of Bisqued ware
Lately, I’ve been adding videos of my sculpting process on my YouTube channel. I uploaded this one in February after firing a huge batch of mugs.
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Current New Work: March 2025
I’ll be attempting to provide you with shorter blog posts more frequently— once or twice a week — to fill you in on what’s happening in my studio.
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My 10-minute chalk doodle in the lobby of Marketview Arts, York PA. 2023.
On Creativity
Recently, I downloaded the ChatGPT app to see what all the fuss was about and I was pleasantly surprised at how immediately the AI made itself useful…
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Slow Down, You Move Too Fast, 8” x 10”; 2023. Colored pencil and graphite. Remember that irrepressibly upbeat 60s song, “Feelin’ Groovy” by the band, Harper’s Bizarre? Aw yeah, baby.
Congruence
Recently, I sold this little piece and was quite happy to hear that the buyer was someone who was familiar with my ceramics (they have a handful of monsterpots) but was totally unfamiliar with my drawings and paintings…
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The tile, Nimue. In Japanese culture, wabi-sabi— to “embrace the imperfect,” is often a rationale for repairing broken pottery (kintsugi). With this philosophy there’s less trauma when damage occurs, often with a highlighting of the imperfection as a kind of journey or experience of the object. This tile had too much fragmentation and still would have to be fired again to stoneware temperatures that I’ve decided to use the pieces as glaze-testing pieces instead.
On Perfectionism
Heartbreak is only temporary pain as I scoop the shattered bits of tiles into the dustpan or repair kiln shelves from the bubbled bits of glass fused to their surfaces. My heart begins to mend from the many failures with every dried bit of greenware I dump back into the clay reclamation bucket. Because with every failure, I earn an experience which teaches me something new about my craft.
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Klaus' Greenman. 15" x 15". Red stoneware.
Curating a Life
A dear friend of mine passed away last year and he left an enduring mark on my life....
Read MoreThis Artist's Wellness and Health Journey
Being an artist means sitting still to work on art for hours at a time to focus for a sustained period. It’s an absolutely essential component of making art (at least mine) and yet, it can be a bit contrary to one’s physical health to sit still for so long.
Here, I’m writing about my experience trying to dial in the right way to keep myself healthy and lean while still having enough time to get my work done and meet my deadlines.
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Wonderful Commission Work, Part 2: Spring
Summer is the second panel in the Seasons series for my friends, a lovely couple who now live in Arkansas. We met several years ago at an art conference and they were there as avid fans of imaginative realist art. They found my work and subsequently invited us to visit them. Sometime after that, they commissioned this series.
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Bob Ross superimposed over his painting, Oak On a Clear Day.
Separating the Art from the Artist
Can we separate the artist from their output? Can we value the genius of an artist’s ouvre if the artist is a jerk? Conversely, if the artist is a genuinely stellar human being but their work is sort of meh, will their art be as memorable and legacy-worthy? I think this question merits real analysis because I think it sheds a lot of light on how art is consumed by the public. It’s always said that people don’t buy art, they’re buying the artist. But why?
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“Family crest” stamps for a couple to be married in Ecuador. These will be used by a potter there to create a set of platters and cups for their household. 2023. These were sculpted or carved into terra cotta clay and then fired for hardness so they can be used again and again.
Pottery stamps and press molds
One of the challenges I faced while making ceramics over the past several years is how to re-create something as it was the first time. Someone will say— “Oooh, I love that!” and want the same thing. This is where molds and stamps come in handy….
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Lotus moonpot, 2022.
Moonpots: the construction method
When I was a kid, I was more than slightly obsessed with little boxes of any sort. Then, I didn’t know for certain why. Perhaps because they held my most important treasures and keepsakes; I stashed….
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The valiant little spring clamp tried its best but alas!
DIY Easel Upgrade
My oak easel, bought back in the early 90s when I was just starting out as an illustrator, while sturdy, was really only meant for lightweight canvas duty or for smaller boards. So, when I started working on heavier panels, I had a problem with the tray slipping…
Read MoreConGlomeration Art Awards
Making the award sculptures for ConGlomeration’s Art Show was a fantastic time. Being given carte blanche meant I could just have a blast imagining anything at all…
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Pressures, 51” x 14’. Graphite, charcoal, and synthetic resin on vellum overlays on Stonehenge, 2009. (The lighting in the room had a colored cast to it— but throwing the photo into B&W would have missed the yellowed tint of the vellum overlays.)
Pressures
Having had the span of a 13 year hiatus gave me the critical distance to finally understand this piece which has real importance to me as an artist and is significant to my life as a human.
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A giant ram’s head mushroom, Grifola frondosa, or maitake.
Trusting Yourself
While art-making isn’t as high stakes as eating a wild mushroom, sometimes it can feel just as terrifying to “trust the process” when you don’t have a clue where your work is going or how you’ll get it where you want it to be.
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