My daily commute to NYC is anything but mundane.
On each subway ride I take notice of each and every person. I see every detail as the unassuming commuter is looking at their phone at people and places that are not near them. But back in the subway car I am paying close attention. And they are my inspiration.
While my experience on the subway is all about the removed observation of a subject who is isolated on his/her phone, the final piece is all about interaction and connection.
You can relate to the characters on the piece. You might recognize people you have seen on the subway, maybe even see a bit of yourself in my art. And though I may not connect with you on the subway, I will definitely connect with you through my work.
I use Porcelain, White Stoneware and Earthenware.
Porcelain and White Stoneware is the white canvas that I use to do what is called an underglaze image transfer. Using underglaze, I silk screen an image onto rice paper. Then taking that sheet of rice paper, I transfer the image onto the clay. Once fired, I paint the commuter with underglaze, then clear glaze and do the final firing.
When working with earthenware I paint white slip onto the red clay then carve through it to reveal the image. This is known as sgraffito.