Now and Zen was inspired by my first trip to China in 2004 where I became immersed in the beautiful decorative arts and history of an ancient culture. I can pinpoint the Cizhou style of black and white decorative marks on vases and pillows that took my breath away and captured my attention.

 My Chinese Art Hiistory  classes and  my Masters of Fine Art studies in Ceramics all of a sudden made sense.  

Now and Zen is the result of a lifetime of studying and experiencing  a culture where ceramic manufacturing was not only essential for the domestic needs of the people, but also the biggest trade commodity of an entire nation.

 

I employ a slip trailing method, where liquid clay is squeezed through a very fine nib and an even line is dropped onto the surface of my pottery. Clear coat glaze is applied to the earthenware bisque and then fired to Cone 05-06. The final firing is to melt gold luster on the tiny select floral motif found on each piece and usually a band around the neck.