Behind the Mud: Building a Battle in the Background As you spend more time with the wheel and the carving tools, you start to realize that what you leave flat matters just as much as what you carve. With my earlier mecha pieces, I focused heavily on the mobile suits themselves—letting their giant features morph…
Behind the Mud: Let the Clay Decide the Mecha Morph Every now and then, it’s incredibly grounding to dig back through the studio archives and look at pieces that pushed our boundaries. Looking back to November 2019, I remember sitting at the workbench with a fresh cylinder of wet clay and a desire to try…
This little cup is a survivor. Every maker knows that moment of “potter’s heartbreak”—the sound of a handle snapping off while a piece is still in its greenware stage. The handle didn’t make it through the build, but I couldn’t bring myself to give up on it. There was something about the cute round shape…
Ever wondered what happens when a giant mecha meets a lump of clay? Well, meet the MBF-P02 Gundam Astray Red Frame—in mug form!Bringing this iconic suit to life meant getting messy. I spent hours “mining” into leather-hard clay, carving out deep armor plates and mechanical joints to give it that beefy, 3D feel. Once the…
I wanted to create something tall and substantial—the kind of piece that actually invites you to hold it. After making my handle-less Mazinger Z tumbler, I really wanted to shift the focus this time. That handle is the heart of the piece for me. I carved those organic ridges so your fingers naturally find their…
I’ve always been captivated by the shifting tides and the hypnotic, synchronized movement of a school of fish—that fluid dance of many that feels like a single living organism. In this piece, I wanted to capture that pulse. I sculpted the handle to mimic the rugged tools of a fisherman—the toggle of a net or…
Zeta Gundam is in my opinion the most playful. If you have a gunpla, you’ll find the the transformation between robot and jet fighter is amazing.
For this latest series, my daughter (tiny.mud) took to the wheel and threw a beautiful collection of mugs and bowls for me. Having her provide the “canvas” gave me the perfect opportunity to focus entirely on experimenting with carving and glazing. I had a blast playing with different application techniques—layering glazes, brushing, and dabbing to…
I spent hours with these pieces. The rhythm of the carving become a form of meditation. There’s something so peaceful about the way the forest-green glaze eventually settles into those grooves like moss over stone. I love how they turn out.
I’m thrilled to share that two of my recent pieces are currently on exhibition alongside a fantastic collection of works from my fellow local artists! These pieces represent some of my favorite explorations in form and surface design lately, and they’re serving as a little “appetizer” for what’s coming up at our big annual event….