I have been creating this body of work, on and off, for 28 years now. It reflects my love for grapes and the grape industry of Western New York, the nearly universal love of wines, and the simple rusticism of country life. My works straddle the line between utilitarian form and the decorative arts. Their forms reflect classic symmetry and relative simplicity, while still capturing the unique, asymmetrical growth of vines in response to the regular and random effects of the environment. I enjoy the juxtapositions of shiny and smooth textures with a more tactile surface as the eye travels from glossy to matte areas on the surface to lend heightened visual appeal. I have a basic selection of functional forms, which are multiplied in variation by a palette of 6 base engobe hues. I also do more random shapes and sizes of vase forms in the vinifera motif created by the sprigged grapevine motif. My materials are cone 6 brown stoneware, overlaid with a brushed-on tinted porcelain slip.