I grew up between the USA and Hungary. In my work, I reflect on my cultural experience, remaining connected to Hungarian folk tradition despite being physically disconnected. I merge this with my background in American craft, particularly North Carolina folk pottery. My work uses narrative imagery and historical vessel forms to highlight the importance of cultural connection and belonging. 

My pottery education in Seagrove, North Carolina brings a strong American craft influence to my work. I am part of a traditional craft lineage through my apprenticeship to Kate Waltman, and use local methods of wood-salt firing and wild clay processing that potters have used in this area since the 1700's. I study folk forms like pitchers, jugs, and jars, striving for excellence in functionality by referencing well-made utilitarian work. The history of colonization and displacement in America leaves a collective longing for cultural connection. I make pots informed by tradition to push back against the mentality of newness that discards valuable cultural memory.  

My surfaces are highly ornamental, using a combination of floral patterns, figurative, and animal imagery. Birds are the most frequent motif, and are a common decorative element on Hungarian folk pots. I reference painting, pottery, embroidery, and wood carving from Hungary and Transylvania. Interpreting these elements using skills from my background in painting, I create narrative vessels depicting Hungarian folk tales or mythical creatures. The human need for storytelling and mythos is another facet of our desire for cultural belonging. I use folk tales as an anchor to stay connected to Hungarian culture, and delight in seeing my personal experiences reflected in traditional stories. By immortalizing stories in pottery, I highlight how both storytelling and craft are vehicles for preserving cultural memory.