trapdoor_studio

patterns in clay🏁

I discovered Nerikomi through trial and error. As I experimented with different clay bodies in the studio, I accumulated scraps in a range of natural tones. Rather than discard them, I began exploring ways to combine them, letting the unique character of each clay come through. I’ve always been drawn to the inherent beauty of raw, unglazed clay. Nerikomi became a natural extension of that appreciation.

As I developed my own Nerikomi practice, I found it to be both soothing and creatively energizing. The process invites a balance between structure and spontaneity. Scraps from one project became the seed of the next, and what began as a planned pattern often evolved naturally into something unexpected. It’s a rhythmic, intuitive way of working—one that encourages both control and letting go.

I will be teaching a series of classes on nerikikomi at - great for beginners and advanced potters alike. See you there!

OPTICAL ILLUSION WATER SET

I'm officially back at it in San Diego! Excited to be back on this platform that sometimes I hate but mostly I like when I remember that it has connected me to so many artists and crafts people. Can't wait to show you what I've been working on.

This glaze is my current obsession- iron rich and variable in the best ways. My work is a constant balance of the hand, the tool and the material. I love seeing the variation in "identical" wares and I had alot of fun seeing the "mistakes" in these pieces become the parts I was most drawn to when they emerged from the glaze firing.

This water set was made to explore a tool and one of many that I made one night as I was exploring a form I love so much- a water set with Carafe and cup as lid. The ridges of the tool create an optical illusion of a stack of tapered cups- the lid for this vessel. I had intended to explore forms in search of a spout that poured differently, but ended up finding a fun new form that will inspire another round of exploration.

In the end my original water sets are still the ones I return to when throwing and drinking, but it is my goal to continue to push each form and find ways to improve them incidentally. It makes the throwing process more engaging and I find I am more present when I make in this way. Production- making the same form over and over- is not something that everyone likes but for me it suits my style of craft in that I can learn about the form in depth and continue to grow as an artist.

Stoked for this market - one of my last in Chicago before my move in August!😭

I'm in great company for this one:
VENDOR LINEUP

rodeo










d.jewelry
montagne

sweets

High Plains Drifter Vintage