I'm a potter based in Kansas City, Missouri. My work is inspired by my father and mother, who raised me in a house so old the walls had cowboys on them and our bathtub had claws. A janitor and nurse who, like me, were born and raised in Topeka, Kansas. They’re the definition of working class who often held two jobs and worked an unfathomable amount of overtime. With a desire to make work that was accessible and practical for people like my parents, I found a home within ceramics. The ability to make functional works of art that can be used in everyday life is truly an amazing thing. The first mugs I ever made found their way into the morning ritual of my father and mother. My pottery centers around mugs and bowls that retain a quiet, simple identity through linear forms and glazes that accentuate their high level of execution with a slight human touch. It’s important that they strike a balance between art and functional object so that they solicit use and adoration, after all it’s just mud.