Artist Statement
I work exclusively in porcelain using the teapot or the still life format as a springboard for personal expression.
So much of my life experience happened around food. Growing up in an extended Italian family, the kitchen and the table (la tavola) were the hub of our home. Fresh food was abundant. There was importance attached to preparing, serving and eating, yes, but also to sharing food. Whether at elaborate meals or over late night snacks of leftovers, we expressed our joys and sorrows, anger and laughter, played games and learned from each other around the table. Giving and receiving a sustenance that was more than physical and needed time to develop. I have continued this tradition in my own home and it is reflected in my art.
Organic forms, the complexity of nature and the artistry of the natural world inspire my work. Fruit and vegetables, bursting with sweetness and nutrition, are images understood universally as valuable. The necessity to eat connects all people on the planet. Organic life faithfully reproducing from seed to fruit to seed to fruit acts as a metaphor for human growth and evolution. Ripeness. The temporary nature of life. The elegance of the cycle of life. My pieces suggest the harvest of nature’s bounty.
More than simply arranging inanimate objects and playing with the curiosity of trompe l’oeil, I am preparing and serving the pieces to the viewer as one prepares and serves food. I try to infuse them with the energy of this moment: ripe fruit ready to eat, a knife that is sharp and poised for use, a napkin which seems as through it is still falling into place, a snack partially eaten, a
cookie tin with the lid slid back, revealing a fresh batch of biscotti or the left over crumbs. The pieces are both nostalgic and current.
The viewer is invited to stop, enjoy and partake.