In my personal quest to connect with my heritage, I’ve always been drawn to historical Asian ceramics – porcelain in particular. These works of art are strikingly beautiful, yet their function plays a strong role in culture, community and ritual. When I create a piece, I honor this tradition.

While growing up second generation Chinese American, holidays, celebrations of birth and marriage as well as mourning evolved around a meal or banquet. Many courses of food having significant meaning (e.g., noodles=longevity, red dyed eggs are considered auspicious) are served family style. My work celebrates the union of family and friends in a communal fashion.

I strive to harmonize the relationship between form, function and nature. Each piece should be aesthetically pleasing as well as completely functional. To avoid distraction from the food, I employ simple organic forms and stay clear from fussy decoration because I believe that the marriage between clay, form and glaze speak for themselves.

It is my goal to enhance the everyday ritual of eating, drinking, and living by making it a beautiful, calm and peaceful experience. These functional serving pieces may be used for a variety of different foods. They can also hang on a wall or be used decoratively.

My current work is a fusion of clay, fire and glass and various natural objects that I press into the porcelain to form abstract textures. I apply small shards of glass during the second firing. The glass melts, leaving a “pool” of translucent color that fuses with the glaze and creates a smooth surface. The results can be gem-like; reminiscent of semi-precious stones or ice formations. My work is constantly evolving, and since each firing yields different results, each piece is unique.