I was born in Guam, my father a local CHamoru and my mother originally from Minnesota. For 18 years I lived on my lovely home island in the Pacific before I traveled to Minnesota myself for college. I was introduced to clay hand-building during my studies at Macalester College, in the city of St. Paul, under the tutelage of Victoria Christen. Although I explored other mediums towards a Studio Art minor, clay left an enduring impression.
After relocating to San Francisco several years later, I returned to the art via community clay hand-building classes, continuing to expand my knowledge as well as practice various techniques. It was through these classes that my “pod” obsession sprouted - inspired both by the flora from my native homeland and my archaeological studies at Macalester.
Eventually I ended up at The Clay Studio where I was able to rent my own studio space to further focus on the form and also begin sharing my work via SF Artspan’s annual Open Studios. I found a great community of fellow artists at this space and when the studio closed in 2011, I joined them at their new place called sfclayworks in the Bayview neighborhood.
I hope my work inspires others to nurture their own creative spirit.