In the summer of 2020, I embarked on a road trip West to Moab, Utah. To be in the presence of staggering arches amongst the arid red terrain was truly breathtaking. I was fascinated by the saturated rusty landscape where weathered cliffs revealed a visual history of the world in between the colored layers of earth. These horizontal layers of earth are reminiscent of the levigation process used to make terra sigillata. Even more fascinating were the Petroglyphs found inside caves and cliff faces around Arches National Park. Images of animals or people engraved onto the dark iron surface to reveal the warm terracotta colored rock underneath is reminiscent of the sgraffito technique.

Through layering colored terra sigillata and glaze, I translate the visual parallels of the red desert landscape from my trip and ceramic processes used in my practice.