Artist Statement for the Seaworthy Project:

The Seaworthy Project is based on the idea of creating artwork from the earth (clay) then returning it to the earth’s oceans, allowing nature to make its final contribution to the art.

For this project sculptured pottery is placed in the ocean for a minimum of one year in order to allow sea life to grow on the work. While nature is “glazing” the artwork, information is recorded about what is happening to each piece as well as the series of work collectively. The data obtained consists mainly of three questions: In what habitat does the work rest, i.e. coral reef, mangrove, sea grass bed, etc.? Under what conditions does the work exist; depth of the pottery under water, water temperature, water salinity, etc.? And, what organisms have made a habitat of the artwork? This data, along with underwater photography and videography, will be available to the public during exhibition, but will also be sent to scientists to help further their studies in restoring the dying coral reefs of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. When the amount of growth that nature provides for the pottery is satisfactory, the final analysis of the pottery’s surrounding ecosystem is made and then the work is pulled out of the ocean waters and dried out for exhibition. The organisms that have encrusted the pottery form a powerful, colorful and natural texture to the art.

This from earth to earth process clearly involves the collaboration of nature and artist. Nature sacrifices itself for the artwork and the artist sacrifices his/her direct control of the final outcome of the work by allowing nature to finalize the work and leave its fingerprint.