(Above) Willow Vases, 2016. Porcelain clay and underglaze.

My photos seem to get better every day that I sit down to take more. I know, I know, “practice makes perfect!” but it seems like there is some magic on my side. I am not a photographer by trade… I just get a few lucky shots that aren’t blurry here and there, then I balance the color and exposure later on my computer. The real trick for these photos was getting the backdrop just right.

Back in school, there was this perfect photo booth setup consisting of a giant sheet of thin and flexible masonite board flawlessly spray painted a solid light gray color that stretched back into shadows for ages when the light box was hanging above and the other lights in the room were all turned off. It made the pots seem to glow, and like they were sitting on a horizon that disappeared into space in the background. I used to mess around with hanging light setups and solid gray colored paper, including an experiment where I set it up on top of the deep freezer in the basement to get the total darkness 24/7. The light I used was too warm, and the paper was never long enough to totally get the fading into oblivion look to it. This time, I think I’ve figured out how to mostly trick the system to get some awesome photos.

Willow Pitcher and Cups, 2016. Porcelain clay and underglaze.

Big Willow Coffee Mugs, 2016. Porcelain and underglaze.