Four years ago, I started working almost exclusively in clay. Although painting has long been a primary medium for me, the tactile qualities of clay have become what I need to express the light as well as the dark, the unrest and taboos of life in the current social climate. I make pieces based on my own experiences and observations, emphasizing-exaggerating-human and animal facial and physical expression. I make work that speaks to me, and hopefully speaks to others. To expand my visual vocabulary, I’ve been following my inclination towards a greater spiritual understanding of traditions and rituals of the distant past. For me they help convey the intensity of contemporary life. The sculptures and paintings are figurative or animal-like. My clay pieces are made with porcelain rolled into another clay body that allows the clay to crack and split while firing providing surface qualities which are essential for my work. My encaustic pieces are on wood, and made with oil paint, beeswax, and resin. These elements are fused together to create a surface that is durable and cures over time. This is a very old technique dating back to the Fayum Mummy Portraits in ancient Egypt.