Pushing my paddleboard onto the water in the early morning, I look out and see the ripples on the surface from the light wind. As I head out to the middle of the pond, I feel my muscles wake up and I fall into the rhythm of the movement. With continued exertion, my mind stills and clears as I watch the ever-changing surface of the water. As I reach the far shore, I stop and sit down on my board. I begin to drift with the currents and the wind, completely surrendering to the moment. Birds fly and dive, bugs zip past, with the occasional ripple from a turtle or fish breaching the surface. The horizon line of the shore adds to the layers of textures and patterns on the water. From one moment to the next, it is always shifting and evolving.

Pushing the clay into a round disk, I begin to form the bottom of a vase. I roll a coil of cool, moist porcelain. Chalky white and delicate, I add the coil to the base. I slowly pinch and form the walls of the piece as I turn it on the banding wheel. I fall into the rhythm of the movement and my mind stills. Images float up in my mind from the morning’s paddle and I see the reflection of the different textures and patterns of the water echo on the surface of the porcelain as I pinch and coil.

Pushing and arranging the finished vases, bowls, cups and mugs into groupings, I begin to see the horizon line and the shape of the landscape. Images from my time out on my paddleboard come floating back to me. The ever changing sky and water is divided by the band of land which surrounds the water. The pieces, arranged into still-life groupings, become the landscape.