My work expresses a personal journey of actively choosing queerness and laying down the societal expectations that bind us to fear and self-doubt. It is about the duality of life: the struggle, yes, but also the celebration. Chains encircle the pieces both as a reminder of the ongoing work of liberation for all, and also as a way to take back this motif of restriction and oppression. We bind ourselves to our queer communities and form our own found families. The work rejects the notion that we don’t owe anyone anything: instead we are bound together and our liberation, and our lives, is entwined.

Firing my work in atmospheric kilns is integral to the work. In an atmospheric kiln each piece is directly affected by the other work in the kiln. The placement of each piece directs the ash and soda swirling around, leaving marks and shadows on the work in a way that directly reflects the experience of living in community: we are marked by those around us. Firing in community: loading kilns, late night shifts throwing wood onto the fire, sharing the work with others, it is what gives my work soul, what transforms it from a simple cup, into something that is imbued with movement and with depth. The work is marked by fire yes, but also by camaraderie, laughter, and friendship.

My current body of work began in early 2023 and has evolved significantly over the past eighteen months. What started out as unattached chains fired in electric kilns, has developed into work interlaced with chains, fired in atmospheric soda and wood kilns. What began as a solitary investigation of my own personal restriction has turned into a communal exploration and a base for my own ever-expanding drive for liberation and freedom for all.