WAN member
Ceramics has always played an important role in my life. As a middle schooler in the Netherlands, I was given the key to the art room to work independently and assist my teacher on special projects.
I later studied Economics at the Free University in Amsterdam and worked as a financial analyst. To find balance, I returned to ceramics, studying sculpture with Dutch artist Femke Kempkes, focusing on the human body.
After moving to the U.S., I paused again—until my daughter’s pottery classes reignited my passion. I took lessons at the Munroe Center for the Arts, completed the technical education program at Mudflat Studio in Somerville, MA, and began handbuilding classes with Susan Bernstein, who introduced me to coiling and helped shape my voice. Currently, I study with Judith Cooper, who encourages my sculptural, narrative direction.
These conversations with clay bring me joy, peace, and acceptance. Afterwards, I feel rested, relaxed, and refreshed—better able to face the outside world again. If more people took the time to work with clay and connect to the earth, I believe the world would be a more peaceful place.
