Tell us about your practice and how you came to making?

My practice currently focuses on ceramics as my preferred medium. It spans both artful and functional objects from wall reliefs to vessels and most recently, lighting. Generally if it can be made with clay, I will attempt it. I then “keep” the lessons I need and integrate them into my overall practice. An insight uncovered years ago may end up embodied in a more recent work if it feels right.  

Making is inherent where I come from - historical resource constraints make Eastern Europe a very capable and taleneted place. I was trained in visual arts at a very early age but didn’t have the opportunity to continue that practice when my family immigrated to Canada. After multiple detours, I ended up in the design world and have been incrementally returning to making through side projects over the years. I tried to ease back into my early materials (painting, drawing) but all of it if felt too loaded. Clay stuck because it’s a medium that’s versatile, accessible and democratic. It meets you where you are, takes on what you bring to it, and then gently pushes you forward.  

Do you have a ritual when it comes to creating work?

This changes based on the studio I work out of. To keep some consistency I do store my tools in a particular way so it’s easy to replicate the bench setup where-ever I am but that’s really it. What I’ve been focusing more on lately, is what I consume and when. As artists we are asked to be authentic in our voice, yet with so much content and media around us it’s challenges to keep track of what’s truly inherent and what’s influence. In the incubation phase, especially between large projects, I’m a sponge: I go to shows, I read books, I take more classes and I listen to podcasts. Once I’m in creation mode, I try my best to tune things out - it’s a work in progress because I’m quite hypervigilant. If I’m handbuilding there’s a lot more room for consumption, but if I’m on the wheel, it’s music or instrumentals only. The wheel is one place that tests your presence! 

You’ve experienced a lot of your younger years in many different cultures. How do you feel that those cross cultural experiences influence your work? More than anything I think those experiences allow me to attune to patterns and commonalities wherever I go. Based on today’s narratives it may see like there’s a lot individualization around the world. If we are not careful we can be led to believe that our experience is too unique. For better of worse, I tend to focus on things that feel universal, not just in terms of human experience but also aesthetic influences. A symbol or style in one part of the world may have been used differently in the other - it feels both unique and familiar at the same time, and I find those possibilities a compelling source of inspiration.

The feminine form and womanhood plays heavily into your pieces in form and concept. Can you tell us a little more about that?

The art world, like unfortunately many other industries, is still heavily dominated by male stories, themes and priorities. Our resilience as a society however, particularly in this part of the world, seems to come down to women. We’ve seen this being put to the test most recently during the pandemic when many more women were leaving their jobs, dreams and aspirations to step up and take care of their kids, families and communities due to lack of policies and systems that prioritize care and a safety net. These themes feel so ‘of our time’ and yet I see disproportionately little being shared about these experiences through culture making activities like art. I think there’s room for more storytelling here. When it comes to form, and likely due to my background in sciences, I tend to lean towards softer lines and biomorphic shapes that have an inherent feminine quality. Even if the inspiration symbology isn’t directly feminine, through my lens the work becomes so. 

Not only have you lived in various culturally distinct places, but you came to ceramics from a scientific background. How does that cross disciplinary change affect your work?

One would be surprised about similarities between the day-to-day of a clay studio and a laboratory, the skill in surgical training and sculpting. I do think my creative desire comes from the inherent need to know how things work. Sciences are all about wondering and tinkering so I guess I bring that nerdy lens with me to my practice. A degree in biology also doesn’t hurt when your subject matter ends up being biomorphic. 

You mentioned that you studied materials and their healing properties, how does that influence your practice and your choice to work with clay?

Yes, I studied biology and biomaterials, which expose you to how truly amazing our bodies are and the materials used to repair them. This was my first encounter with ceramics - typically used as material to repair bone injuries. Did you know that at the turn of the century it wasn’t uncommon for ceramicists to use dental ovens to fire clay? When I look at works of Arp or Hempworth, it’s really not a stretch for me to understand their fasicantion with bone-like structures. 

Having a clay-based practice almost demands a focus on materiality. The whole journey from a ball of mud to a beautiful object is a series of physical and chemical transitions. I feel fortunate to witness theory in practice! 

On another note, for many ceramicists working with clay is a meditative practice. It’s interesting to end up on the other side of this material-healing relationship and let it soothe me. 

What’s something you’ve always imagined but maybe haven’t had the time or opportunity to work on?A life-size ceramic pop-up book/set design. Literally allowing 3D construction pop up to create new scenes, shadows and outlines. It’s vaguely in my mind’s eye but feels like it needs some more incubation and the right creative partners to bring to life!

What’s next for you? What are you working on now?

I’m currently digging deeper into abstraction as a way of constructing form and am noodling on a few lighting ideas to round out my interest in the translucent properties of porcelain!