deutsche Version
I mainly do pre- and early history pottery, focusing on the celtic Hallstatt era (800-450 BCE). Based on excavation reports I create reconstructions, always without a pottery wheel, just like their models.
Before setting out to work, I will allow a piece to impress me, in order to, hopefully, understand it in its entirety. Then I strive to reflect the impression it made on me in my piece of pottery. The resulting unique piece has a personality of its own and, just like its model, carries slight intentional irregularities, traces of manual work. Each closer look will reveal a new detail – and will bring the piece of pottery to life.
Take, for example, a piece of Alb-Hegau ceramics painted in graphite red: it takes days, weeks even of experimenting before I feel I have at least come close to techniques long forgotten. And it is quite wonderful indeed to witness timeless beauty and to be able to revive it through my pottery. Once a piece is completed, after hours, days at times, of work and 
drying, I feel deeply satisfied at last. Not just because of the beauty in having created, out of initially muddy sludge, a new receptacle … Thinking of the fact that excavated sherds often go back to 2500 years and that some pieces of my pottery might last another millenium … I consider myself a true transmitter of ancient European traditions. I recapture forms and techniques to carry them into the future, through my vessels, and I feel part of this transmission process.
In order to relax both spirit an hands I take courses in various subjects, I browse through the universitiy library at the dapartment of archaeology or I draw fresh enthusiasm from special reports offering new subjects. Never too old to learn, as the saying goes … Hence, in the realm of archaeology I also read extensively about the pottery of the kingdom of Elam, of South and Central America and about the art of sub-saharan Africa arount 1900. Also, I created a number of „free-style“ modern pieces. A selection of them is also shown here.
In case of works wich refer to indigenous peoples of other continents, I strive to find a middle ground between ´inspiration´ and ´creation´. Merely imitating the art of a people still intact would be wrong, in my eyes. I do not feel entitled to do so. Instead, I modify, alienate, get inspired, develop further, play … and the results are manifold.
If I made you curious, please feel free to browse.
Happy surfing!
