Baker Artist Portfolios

Wood and Salt fired illustrated plates.

A variety of functional work from 2013.
I choose to make functional work because of the intimate relationship it establishes between the maker and the user. A mug is held daily, placed on the lips, rubbed and caressed with thumbs and fingers. Plates and bowls play an integral role in the most basic of human needs. My hope is that through the use of functional forms I can help create moments of quiet presence and intention within the daily lives of others.

Larger format pieces from platters to large vases and pitchers.
Since the first cave paintings, humans have been compelled to depict narratives and symbols of the world around them. I draw from this extensive history when illustrating my work. With an interest in Carl Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious, it amazes me to see the same animals, symbols and narratives across time and culture. I enjoy playing with ideas of personal and collective symbolism and often use humor to engage people in this dialogue.

A selection of salad and dinner plates created using high fire stoneware.

An illustrated biography and artist statement zine

The collection of work here is what I have documented after my residency at the International Ceramic Research Center of Guldagergaard. Most of my work from this trip is still selling there through KIT, or is in a private collection.

Fired to cone 10 in the Guldagergaard soda kilns with beer reduction

High Fired Stoneware Tableware Collection
Cone 6 oxidation on Jenson Special Standard Clay

Throne and Altar-ed represents a fusion of contemporary thinking towards craft, culture, and creativity with the archaic and medieval. The work intentionally looks like it passed through many hands, or was dug up out of the ground to invoke a Jungian sense of the ancestral self in the viewer in a dark and gritty fashion by feelings passed along on our dominant genes throughout antiquity.

Here are some examples of my pottery and some pieces and series that I am currently working on.

The pottery that I make is intended to provoke daily use. I compose each piece with both function and visual aesthetics in mind. Making multiples of each piece gives me an opportunity to make new innovations within similar forms. Inspiration for my current work comes from a wide range of firing techniques and construction styles, both historical and modern. Throughout my search for my own ceramic identity, I have become totally infatuated with the wood firing process. Being a wood firing potter I am only able to set parameters for my work, leaving much of the final outcome to chance.