At Mill Stone Pottery, I produce both functional and decorative pieces. Each one is wheel thrown and/or hand- built using slabs, extrusion, or hand-pressed techniques. Both production and one-of-a-kind pieces are made by hand with care and attention to detail in hopes that the recipient will incorporate them into a part of his or her everyday life and routines. All of my pots intended for food preparation or serving are oven proof, dishwasher, and microwave safe as well as lead free. My study of interior design taught me that I wanted to create the objects myself, not design objects and spaces that someone else would make. While this implies a certain amount of control, the reality of working with clay is that there are certain limitations imposed by the nature of the material itself. When glaze firing, for example I must let go of some of my control and allow the firing process to be the final decorator. There is a constant need to study, explore, and play with all the variables that will become the catalysts for the final glaze effects. The result is often a surprise and a source of inspiration for new exploration. My interest lies in an exploration of patterns, and I pursue this through the diverse methods of creating textures and glaze rhythms. Much of the original influences for this came from time spent practicing the batik process and decorating Ukrainian eggs. Currently, my influences range from a mud-cloth wall-hanging from the Congo, to the patterns of the bark on a pine tree, to the sand ripples left by the receding tides. I never tire of the myriad possibilities inherent in clay and its infinite learning curve.