welcome to my virtual studio

My pursuit of fine arts and artistic expression has been a life-long endeavor that has changed and morphed over time. It began with quilts and crochet with my mother and grandmother and piano lessons at 5 years old. At 10, I began studying flute. But after beginning a BFA in music performance in 2002, I shifted out of the fine arts to focus Latin American literature. I received my BA in 2005, my MA in 2007, and my PhD in 2017 all the while taking dance, learning watercolor, and dabbling in calligraphy.

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In 2019, I began taking courses under Dubhe Carreño in the Arts + Design Department at Northeastern Illinois University. I was immediately enthralled. While I continue pursuing scholarly endeavors, pottery has become an important outlet of self expression where I can reconnect to the earth and my own material proprioception in relation to it, which gives me an opportunity to feel grounded and slow down.

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What I try to capture in my work are the moments of enrapture that clay gives me, which lies in its paradoxical nature. For example, glaze, at first flowing and watery, suddenly and irrevocably hardens, becoming structural, after firing. Clay, once malleable and plastic, forgiving and playful, becomes rigid and fragile for a time, requiring the most precise, gentle touches. But then, it  becomes hard and durable, resistant to fire, and usable in the most demanding conditions. I try to capture those paradoxes within the shapes and glazes I create through texture and contrast. 

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Thank you for visiting my store and supporting my sanity in a world that so often tries to steal it.

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With Love,

Esbi