IMG_3416.jpg

My Story

Before I started pursuing my master’s degree in ceramics and glass at the Royal College of Art in London, I had plans to attend culinary school in Paris. Most of my interests at the time were strongly related to food and cuisine, whether it was writing or photography or even just cooking and eating. However, it was only after completing a stage at a fine-dining restaurant in LA that I realized it took a certain kind of person to survive in the intense environment of a professional kitchen, and I was, unfortunately, not that kind of person. At around the same time, I had my first experience on a potter’s wheel and completely fell in love with clay. Thus, I decided to combine my two passions—ceramics and food.

After all, what is food without a plate?

My interests now lie in the interactions between the plated food, the vessel, and the diner, with the goal of enhancing the beauty and experience of cuisine through customized tableware.

Though an emphasis on serving ware is a more recent development in western cuisine, the vessel has always been an integral part of the dining experience in Japanese cuisine. While having a kaiseki meal in Kyoto, it quickly becomes apparent that the plates don't match each other; rather, they're meant to match the foods they present. The vessel is held in such high regard that it is not unusual for components of a dish to occupy a smaller area so that diners may also appreciate the beauty of a ceramic plate. 

I believe that tableware should serve as more than just a blank canvas for food. When the plated food and the vessel exist in harmony, they most effectively convey the artistic message of both chef and ceramicist. 

Although my work is deeply rooted in functionality, it is not limited by it. The pieces I create are meant as vessels for the serving of food, but they are not merely utilitarian plates or bowls. I hope for them to be works of art in themselves, intricate objects that evoke a sense of luxury, to be admired and brought onto the dining table only for extraordinary meals. I describe my work as “sculpturally functional,” where the restaurant is my gallery and the spotlight is on the dining table.

IMG_2973.JPG

My Process

My process usually begins with some form of three-dimensional sketching, either in clay on the potter’s wheel or in a digital rendering on the computer--I tend to skip the two-dimensional, paper-and-pencil step. From there, if the design is something that will need to be replicated many times, in an exact manner, I make a model out of clay or plaster. The model is then used to make plaster moulds. There are several different making techniques that involve the use of plaster moulds, so a decision must be made to find the most suitable method for the design. The technique I utilize most frequently is the slip-casting method, in which I must make a liquid clay mixture called “slip” and pour it into plaster moulds to “cast” the forms I want. 

Although the word “mould” often gives the impression that it is easy to achieve multiples of a design, each piece actually still requires a remarkable amount of cleaning and detailing by hand before it is ready to be bisque fired. 

A bisque firing is the initial firing to 1000C that alters the clay from its raw state into a hardened yet porous state for glazing. 

Once bisque fired, the piece is ready to be glazed before a second firing to 1260C. 

I mix all of my own glaze recipes which I have developed through extensive research and testing. The glazes are then applied to each piece through different techniques such as dipping or spraying. After glaze firing, the ceramic material becomes vitrified and is no longer porous.

The last step of the process is to diamond polish the bottoms of each piece to prevent it from scratching any surface it might be placed on. This can just be a quick swipe across the foot of a bowl with a sander, but it is a small detail that makes a big difference in the enjoyment that comes from using a well-considered piece.