Throughout my childhood the idea of a piggy bank sat at the forefront of my concept of money. My father has a very old, handmade, stoneware piggy bank with a large cork plug - a piggy bank that my tiny hands would fit perfectly into when I wanted to go buy candy at the gas station down the street.
However, as I grew older the idea of saving even the smallest amounts of money became increasingly logical and idealistic. Saving money, and being patient to spend it hooked itself into my idea of how to be a grown-up. Soon it became a practice of my own, although I just put my spare change in a cup.
When my love for ceramics grew into an opportunity that would positively shape me into the artist I am today, an internship at Red Star Studios, I got the amazing opportunity to meet very skilled, active, and challenging artists. One of these, Tommy Frank, who was my boss at the time, helped me with every technical problem I encountered due to his knowledge base of ceramic information that still inspires me. That is part of my reason and drive to learn all I can about ceramics - to help others when they need it. He allowed me to test glazes and materials that formed the basis of my chemical understanding of ceramics, an understanding that has aided me through my entire career as an artist.
At the end of my (first) internship with Tommy, he gave me this piggy bank as a symbol of thanks for the help I'd given him. Now, heavy with a pile of coins this piggy bank sits as a reminder of where I came from, what my goals are, and who has and still does inspire me both as an artist and a person.
Plus, I finally have a place to put my coins.
