When I make pottery, I seek to educate myself on a culture I am slowly forgetting. I grew up between the US and Hungary, a child of immigrants. I was surrounded by a culture that placed much pride on pastoral customs, traditional craft, and folklore. After spending my teenagehood and adult years in the American Midwest, ceramics has become my outlet to continue growing in my Hungarian identity, as staying connected to it becomes harder. This manifests in my work though Hungarian folk imagery and use of narrative.

Stories are a reflection of cultural heritage. I am fascinated by the way fables trickle down to the modern day, continuing to inform collective ideas. What might seem like antiquated themes are an excellent reflection of collective values, and carry on the human experience. The ideas we draw from folklore can be deeply personal, political and radical. When people look at my work, I invite them to connect their own life experiences to the stories depicted.

While my decorative patterns and narrative elements draw directly from Hungarian folk art, my process correlates to my high fire education and appreciation for American pottery. I started my ceramics journey at the University of Kansas and was introduced to the concept of wood and salt fired pottery. After graduating I moved to North Carolina to take a Ceramic Internship at Starworks. My proximity to high fire stoneware and the folk traditions of Appalachia has provided further inspiration. I fire my work to cone 10 in a gas kiln, and strive for salt-glazed surfaces that allow my surface decorations to shine through. I gravitate toward blue, white and iron brown colors indicative of 19th century stoneware. The resulting look is almost medieval and add to the storybook quality of my narrative pieces. My idea of my culture and identity is a mixed experience. How fitting then, to create ceramics that find a middle ground in two separate folk styles, bringing them together to make something new.