I have lived my life at the nexus of art and nature.

I am a fourth generation Californian who adventured to British Columbia, Canada, following receipt of my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree; I have had home and heart in both places for half a century.


Raku salmon
The metaphor of fish = journey has been a prevalent feature in my artwork, and speaks to cross-cultural continuums. I have explored, through art, literature and teachings, the practices of Zen Buddhist monks. My raku bowls have been emblematic of their 'begging bowls': Cultural reference (and reverence) is made to the practice of exchanging guidance and wisdom for offerings of sustenance ... sweet rice, spices.


Harmony (l or top) and Humility: clay, wood, sand
Raku is a Japanese firing technique. My work has been inspired by Haiku and calligraphic etchings, embodiments of Asian art and culture by virtue of their simplicity and beauty. As a clay artist, this is seen through my creations of 'dry landscape gardens' - slabs of smoked porcelain icons or altars, juxtaposed with bowls upon white silica framed in black.

Zen celebrates the profound beauty of the commonplace, the extraordinary in the ordinary. Its essence is that we take time from our busy lives, to stop, to contemplate in an atmosphere of peace and harmony. I choose to create aesthetic ceramic works that will cause the viewer to pause and reflect, as though before an altar.

To pay close attention to the creation of a beautiful clay form and then relinquish it to the spontaneity of raku and pit-fired techniques is an exciting and liberating force: elemental, conceptual and limitless.


Smoked ceramic bowl
I was honoured to participate in my first international ceramic exhibition in Taiwan in the fall of 2000. From there I traveled to Japan, where I was enraptured and empowered. Immersion in Asian culture and art, historical and contemporary, was inspiring and humbling, and as a result of this my life has truly deepened.

cathedral like woods
a roof like eternity
green walls blue whispers


The suspended image memorializes the ancient temple grounds in Japan, which I recently documented.The ceramic works are juxtaposed with other materials to create an altar-like environment.The fish represents a journey.This piece speaks reverently to cross-cultural preservation.The raku pots will be priced and sold individually.
Photograph of the artist and her work submitted by Cherie Hansen.