Hello! my inspirations come from many places… My love for pottery began back when I was a small child building sandcastles at Powder Point in Duxbury Massachusetts. Some memories I have are of the brisk ocean breeze sifting sand across my sand castles leaving a soft layer of texture sparkling in the sunlight. Then the tide would come in and transform my castles into a soft organic abstract design and eventually disappear.
As an adult I am captured by the metaphors.
One of my current interests and areas of exploration is with Cone 10 reduction firing. In 1976, I studied under the renown watercolor artist Phoebe Flory in the Historic Village of Mont Vernon, New Hampshire. It was there I learned about spontaneity and not over working art. I bring with me my watercolor experience when I work with Shinos and the subtleties of color with my glazes in particular Copper Reds.
In 1983, I graduated from Plymouth State University as an art major concentrating in Ceramics and Printing. I learned my technical throwing skills from Potter, Jim Simister. After graduating from college I taught art at Waterville Valley Academy and then raised a family and helped run the family business. Later, I developed Shaughnessy Web Design. Several of my sites received recognition at the NH Internet Awards. Since then, I have studied /workshops with Richard Wetterer, Jeff Brown, Jeff Shapiro and Daniel Johnston. In 2006 I purchased Phoebe Flory’s home and built an addition behind the studio for a kiln room. The studio known to Phoebe Flory and her students is now home to Pottery @ Phoebe’s Barn where I teach classes, create my art and administer this web site.