Quissett Studio Pottery is on Cape Cod, between Falmouth and Woods Hole Massachusetts, one mile from the Woods Hole-Martha's Vineyard-Nantucket Steamship Terminal. My studio is located in the 1860's home of captain William Davis. This is my third studio endeavor.

Prior to having studios in Jamaica Plain and East Falmouth, MA, I studied fine art and pottery at St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana. Regardless of the locale, whether urban or rural, or whether my kilns have been gas, oil, or electrically fired; or if I am making clay or testing glazes, each experience is unique and my intentions remain the same; to lead a life defined and fulfilled working at a traditional craft. It is complex and demanding in its simplicity.

Influenced by early American and Oriental pottery, I work in stoneware and porcelain. As a production potter, making bowls, mugs, casseroles and vases, I strive for simple and fluid forms best adapted for everyday use. I also make special occasion pieces that commemorate weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries by using old-print-type to inscribe the rims of bowls. I work with a small number of glazes that I formulate and mix. These change over time. The search for glazes that work throughout a kiln and with each other is the 'grail' of studio potters.

Traditional pottery reflects the integrity and craftsmanship of its maker. I derive great satisfaction from the utilitarian beauty of production work. The surprising strength and vitality of early American pottery made from local materials with ash and slip glazes form an ideal not easily matched by the contemporary potter. I work to find a balance between the demands of machine-made perfection and my desire for self-expression. By embracing the limitations of the material and unpredictable elements inherent in firing a kiln, I can make ware that is satisfying and provides a thread to tradition. Looking for the beautiful glaze, the fine form, the useful pot keeps me working and connects me to a long history of people who have made pottery at the side of a village road.