Architecture is one of the most important factors in our daily lives. It is not only the art of joining bricks to form shelters but it is also an art form that can range from a modest dwelling to skyscrapers that reach immense heights. There are also many layers to architecture from the schematic design to the final details of the lighting. The most recognizable and tangible part of architecture is also the most functional; the walls and floors. These aspects of a building are what my work is based on. I draw my inspiration from many architects but there is one that is more prevalent than others, and he is Frank Lloyd Wright. I find his work to be the most iconic and recognizable in not only American culture but all over the world. My most recent body of work is influenced very much by Wright’s Prairie Houses. Another subject that has influenced my work greatly is the idea of metamorphosis and the growth of the city. My work is very linear and rigid but at the same time, I try to show movement in the pieces by shifting the grid of the city and layering one grid on top of another. This layering creates movement not only side to side and up and down, but also within the layers. I also try to create movement with the grid by making pieces that break away from the framework and travel into the vessel. These draw the eye into the piece where the viewer can then observe the metamorphosis that has occurred inside the piece. Another way I express the idea of metamorphosis is by a shift in scale from large to small as the grid “climbs” up or down the piece. Each piece I create is unique. First I build my core/structural elements and then I cut each individual element that is attached to the outside. I feel that cutting each element is important because the subtle changes that occur make the finished piece have a unique look; and allows it to have it’s own voice. I have fired most of my pieces in cone 10 soda but due to the fragility of the pieces in this particular body of work, my focus has been on cone 6 oxidation. I am constantly shifting back and forth from the world of architecture to the ceramics world and I think that the finite nature of architecture and the infinite nature of clay are the perfect pairing for me to create the pieces that I am currently working on.